Quiet Connections

Do you often feel like you overstretch yourself? Taking on more than what you can actually manage? And when somebody asks you for help, you instantly say yes, because to say no leaves you feeling wrecked with guilt. Perhaps you struggle with boundaries? Unsure of where your responsibilities end and another person’s begins?

Has this left you feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, stressed, unmotivated and maybe like you just don’t care anymore? Then stay tuned, because you may be experiencing, what’s known as burnout.

In this episode. Stacie is joined by the lovely, Ioana Patale, who’s going to guide you through what burnout actually is and how to recognise its early warning signs. What underlying forces are driving the behaviours which lead to burnout in the first place, and most importantly, what do you need to know and do to help heal it. 

About our Guest
IOANA PATALE
Ioana is a Burnout Coach working with overwhelmed mid-level executives and managers who want to become again the compassionate, respected, and efficient leaders they are meant to be. She's been through burnout herself, several times, and only managed to escape the vicious burnout cycle when she got to its roots. Ioana now uses awareness-based coaching to help her clients identify the roots of their burnout and find the personalised solutions that best fit them and their loved ones.
Website: ioanapatale.com
Instagram: instagram.com/ioanapatale_burnoutguide
Facebook: facebook.com/IoanaPataleBurnoutGuide

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Want to know more about attachment styles? Do you feel anxious in your relationships? Perhaps you see unhealthy patterns repeating in relationship after relationship? Or maybe you find yourself unintentionally sabotaging your relationships in a push-pull dance of connection and you're worried you're going to be alone?
If any of this sounds like your experience, this podcast episode is for you. We're joined by Robyn Michon, a Relationship Anxiety Coach who's here to share her own experiences of dating and relationships, and realising that something has to change within her; talk us through the anxious, avoidant and secure attachment styles, and also share ways that you can stop yourself from repeating unhealthy cycles of conflict and avoidance within your relationship. Plus, she offers you permission to go after what you want regardless of the messages we get from society! Robyn is an absolute joy to listen to and you're going to get so much out of this wonderful conversation. 

About our Guest:
ROBYN MICHON
Robyn is a Relationship Anxiety Coach helping smart, successful people figure out what they are doing wrong in relationships so that you can feel more Confident, more Secure, and more Loved. Connect with Robyn Michon here:
Website: robynmichon.com
Instagram: instagram.com/relationshipanxietycoach
Facebook: facebook.com/robynmichoncoaching

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Do you feel like you're not good enough at work? Do your insecurities hold you back from taking opportunities? Or perhaps you're worried about keeping up as the world returns to some form of normality after a pandemic? 

In this episode, we’ll be exploring imposter syndrome in your career, social anxiety and emerging from pandemic restrictions as the world begins to open up again. Our Special Guest is Grace Sodzi, Social Entrepreneur, Wellbeing Facilitator and CEO of Paper Arts CIC where she supports other young creatives to establish careers. 

Grace shares with you what she's learned about social anxiety and overcoming imposterism in your career, and she also discusses challenges and helpful tips for emerging from lockdowns and pandemic restrictions as the world begins to open up again after the Covid-19 disruption. 

This is a delightful conversation with a heart-centred entrepreneur and a leader. Grace shows us that we can all overcome the fear of not being good enough and our fears do not have to hold us back in life…

About our Guest:
GRACE SODZI
Grace is CEO of PAPER Arts CIC based in Bristol. The organisation supports young creatives between the ages of 18 and 30 to establish careers. She has a degree in Business and Entrepreneurship and set up a social enterprise aged 18 to raise awareness of the importance of mental health after suffering from anxiety and depression throughout her teenage years. She is currently co-designing a new alumni network service with young creatives in Bristol. She strongly believes in doing what you love for a living. Connect with Grace Sodzi at:
Website: paperarts.org.uk
Instagram: instagram.com/paperartscic
Facebook: facebook.com/PAPERCIC

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As a quieter person (or someone wearing an extroverted mask), we're often told that 'quiet' equals 'not enough' and we carry this sense of lack within us; hiding ourselves away in one form or another, believing that there is something wrong with who we are and that we don't fit in. 

We're living in a culture where loving our quietness feels rebellious. But all we really want is to be able to show up confidently as our true selves in life, and to feel a sense of belonging. 

This is the story of 5 inspiring women, who are walking the path from social anxiety to quiet confidence.

Amanda, Rose, Lizzie, Esther and Julia share with you how they’re overcoming the feeling of not being good enough and changing their tendencies to hide themselves away. They talk about the ways in which they're shifting the belief that they are broken and unworthy; exploring the strengths of their quieter qualities and practicing their ability to express themselves with others. They discuss coping strategies they’ve used for managing anxiety and how they have been redefining what it means to be quiet as part of a community of people on the same path. 

If you would like to join these women and find a place where you belong too, you can join the Quiet Community at quietconnections.co.uk/community.

This is the last in the first series of the Quiet Connections podcast. We'll be back in the Summer with new guests and topics and insights! If you have an idea of something you'd like us to discuss or someone you'd like us to interview, please let us know by emailing us at [email protected].

If you'd like to join our community and take advantage of the free workshops that we're running, or you want to find out more about how you can get involved, go to quietconnections.co.uk for more information. 

Thanks for listening! Please stay connected :) 

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This weeks episode guest, Kyle Mitchell, has been exactly where you are now. Growing up hearing things like “Oh he doesn’t like to talk, he’s really shy”, Kyle thought this was the way life was going to be, this is who he is, and there was no changing that. Nowadays, Kyle has a different story to tell about himself!

Stacie and Kyle explore how setting yourself small challenges helps to rewire the brain to ease the anxieties experienced in social situations, how to embrace your perceived flaws, shift your focus away from perfectionistic outcomes, and learn to love yourself, so that you too, can go from feeling socially anxious, to socially confident. Just like Kyle did.

Get your Free Workbook
How to Get More Calm & Confident in Social Situations: A Quiet Person’s Guide to Gently Stretching Your Comfort Zone at Your Own Pace
Download here: www.quietconnections.co.uk/workbook

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Do you struggle to get your words out? Feel yourself freeze when someone speaks to you? Do your words seem to get stuck in your throat?

In this fascinating episode, we explore the relationship between social anxiety and selective mutism - a severe response to anxiety. We answer that dreaded question “why don’t you talk?” And you’ll discover how your behaviour might be helping to keep someone ‘stuck’ in their cycle of silence and fear -including how praise may actually reduce the likelihood of someone speaking up again. You’ll also hear about why ‘shy’ isn’t a helpful word to use to describe quieter children. You’ll learn about other ways that this fear response can show up that you might not have considered, and how you should respond if a child is using ‘silly talk’, animal noises, or a voice that isn’t their own - and why they might be doing this. Chelsea also demonstrates how very important it is to take a comfort zone stretch approach to overcoming selective mutism and anxiety as she explains what helped her to move through selective mutism to becoming a podcast host. 

About our Guest
Chelsea Gamache is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. She was diagnosed with Selective Mutism at age five and is passionate about sharing her experience, raising awareness and helping others who are struggling with Selective Mutism and anxiety. Chelsea hosts ‘Outloud the Selective Mutism Podcast’ with her mom and recently wrote a children's book about Selective Mutism called 'I Am Brave'. https://outloudsm.com

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Do you keep a lot of feelings bottled up inside of you? Or find it hard to express and release them in ways that feel good? Movement could be the key.

In this episode, Stacie chats with dance and yoga instructor, Elaine Macey, about how mindfully moving the body can help us safely tune in, connect with, and shift our emotions, our thoughts, our breath, and our authentic selves, so that we can take more aligned action each day.

About out Guest
Co-Founder of 4Motion CIC and the 4Motion Online Community. Elaine has extensive experience and a passion for inclusive dance, yoga, fitness and community events. She thrives on teaching, delivering training and facilitating experiences that spark creative ways of moving, learning and engaging with people and nature. Elaine manages the 4Motion Education and Community Programmes, delivers CPD and INSET training for school teachers, teaches our Flow Yoga and SUPYoga classes, manages and delivers our 4Motion Retreats, and works with our wonderful 4Motion Youth Ambassadors to run community projects, performances and youth training. www.4motioncic.com

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Did you know that there is a 1 in 5 chance that you're a Highly Sensitive Person? 
 
Not sure what that means? Well then you'll want to tune in and find out! Perhaps you have been told that you’re “too sensitive” or “too emotional or caring” in your life and you feel like there’s something wrong with you. Maybe you struggle in situations that other people appear to manage with ease. Perhaps you take on the feelings of others or maybe you're highly intuitive. Being a Highly Sensitive Person is about more than just your emotions. 

In this episode, you’ll find out why it’s so important to understand high sensitivity, what makes us highly sensitive, how this affects us and, in turn how we, as highly sensitive people, have special gifts to share with the world. We are joined by Diane O’Shea for a conversation about being a Highly Sensitive Person, recognising what you need and how to design a life that works for you. You'll hear how Diane struggled in a life with a high-stress job, family pressures and thoughts that she was 'a disaster' and should be coping better than she is, before coming across the work of Elaine Aron and discovering that she is a Highly Sensitive Person and turning her life around to suit her own needs - working with her high sensitivity rather than against it.

About out Guest

Diane O'Shea is a Highly Sensitive Person living in Oceanside, California with her dog SunnyD and puppy Bobo, who doubles as her Social Committee Manager. Diane is a certified Life & Business coach helping other Highly Sensitive People design the life of their dreams. www.luminarylifecoaching.com

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Have you ever felt like you've lost your confidence or you don't have a sense of purpose in life? Feel like you're a burden and don't fit in? Have you wanted to hide yourself away because you can't easily do the things that you think you should be able to do?

Claire Whitehouse felt this way when she had a Stroke and was told she wouldn't walk again at the age of 19. Once an active perfectionist, she began to experience social anxiety and isolation and struggled with her thoughts and emotions. But Claire tells us that her disability has opened her eyes to her true abilities.

Here she shares her story with us and explores some of the tools and thoughts that helped her to maintain a 'have a go' mindset that allowed her to embrace imperfection and failure and shift her perspective to what's important in life; which eventually led Claire to defy the neurologists' predications and get back to running, and also discover a sense of purpose and greater confidence and connection in life.

Claire is talking primarily about her experience of stroke here, but as you know, many of the emotions and difficulties that Claire faced are similar for any of us who are going through an experience that makes us feel inadequate and different to others. So join us on Claire's inspiring journey and consider what you can take away from her experience that can helpfully shift your thinking too.


ABOUT OUR GUEST

Claire Whitehouse is a Stroke Survivor and also a Support Coordinator for Dorset Stroke Association where she facilitates peer support groups and provides individual support for other stroke survivors and their carers. 

In 2010, 19-year-old Claire had two disabling strokes that transformed her life. She felt isolated by her wheelchair and existence. She became socially anxious, and lost her sense of worth and self-confidence. 

But, five years on, Claire became properly informed about the way that her mind was working and how this was impacting her mental health. She no longer felt it was her fault, but a case of self-management and understanding.

With acceptance, Claire recreated herself through mindfulness, meditation, music, animal therapy, healthy living, and nature. 

Claire says “my disability showed me my true abilities” as she readapted and tried new hobbies like Stand-Up Paddle boarding. Each leap, mistake and failure reframed as lessons to build on her learning, confidence and wisdom.

Now life is full of purpose while working for Stroke Association as a Dorset Coordinator supporting others in a similar place. Claire is proud of the person she has became. She tells us that, there may be  stumbling blocks on the road but with determination, encouragement, and self-belief, we can find a way through them. Claire no longer allows her disability to define her, because only you can define yourself. Claire also shares her story and inspirations through her ‘Hope for Stroke’ pages on Facebook and Instagram to help others who need reassurance and encouragement. [Stroke Association: www.stroke.org.uk Hope for Stroke: www.facebook.com/hopeforstroke2]

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Are you full of self-hate, critical thinking and doubt? Do you more easily extend compassion and kindness to others, but struggle to offer it to yourself?

In this episode, Stacie and quiet community member, Julia, chat with TedX speaker, Amanda Winwood, about the process of re-learning how to love and accept ourselves. We explore some of the challenges that many of us experience when it comes to practising self-compassion, and the small steps that you can start taking today to help move you away from putting yourself down, and move towards lifting yourself up.

So why not make yourself comfortable with a blanket and tea, whilst you listen to this inspiring conversation.

ABOUT OUR GUEST
Amanda Winwood, CEO (and Queen of Hugs) Made for Life Organics and Founder of the Made for Life Foundation

From the heart of Cornwall, Amanda has pioneered ethical and organic skincare and wellness for over 18 years.  A former Hotelier and Tourism Operator with 38 years’ experience, Amanda and her team have trained over 2000 therapists in spas across the UK to confidently open their doors to people with mental health issues and also those going through cancer.  Made for Life Organics was the first UK Spa brand to receive BCorp certification.  Amanda is a Reiki Master, Therapist and teacher of Mindfulness. She lives in Spain and Cornwall.
https://www.madeforlifeorganics.com/

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