The Hope-Makers

In this episode I interview Anne Fricke, host of 'Walking with Freya' a podcast serving special needs families, about her experiences of raising her daugther Freya who has Prader Willi Syndrome. We speak about the challenges, fears and gifts that this diagnosis brings and Anne provides some sound advice for others who may be facing the same reality.

May is also Prader-Willi Awareness month and so if you are keen to find out more you can do so by visiting these websites:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/prader-willi-syndrome/

Prader-Willi Syndrome Support Association: https://www.pwsa.co.uk/

Also! If you like taking quizzes and want to know the extent to which you engage in healthy habits that underpin well-being, success and resilience, you can take find out your Balanced Empowerment score HERE.

Following an emotive experience working as a ‘de-clutterer’ Clouds End founder, Heather Matuozzo, realised there was little or no help available for people affected by hoarding disorder and this spurred her on to form Clouds End CIC in 2009.
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The company’s prevailing belief is that the process has to be fun or it won’t succeed. People often start off frightened about what may be asked of them but the idea is to help people slowly change their behaviour at a pace they find comfortable not to compel them to make dramatic, shocking changes.

Their services are available to anyone looking to tackle a hoarding situation that is causing a problem.
Being a Community Interest Company means Clouds End rely on funding, this can come from a wide range of sources and helps keep their work going.

In this episode, I speak with Heather about what hoarding is, the difficulties people who hoard face in practical and emotional terms, and some of the ways Heather works to effectively help people who hoard and other services understand the issues. This is a fabulous chat packed full of take away messages for all of us who at any point have struggled to cope with difficult emotions.

You can contact Clouds End HERE

Also! If you like taking quizzes and want to know the extent to which you engage in healthy habits that underpin well-being, success and resilience, you can take find out your Balanced Empowerment score HERE.

In 2020, just after the Covid pandemic started, Janet Fanaki lost her husband to Glioblastoma - incurable brain cancer. However, four years before, just after receiving this devastating diagnosis Janet decided to write a blog about her experience and the lessons she had learned from speaking with others going through difficult times, and has since created a podcast 'Resilient People' in which she interviews ordinary people about how they have coped with challenging times.

In this interview, Janet provides an extraordinary account of how she managed herself and other people in order to cope with the diagnosis her family was dealing with, an incredible fundraising success, and how she found and continues to find hope.

You can find out more about Janet, and resilient people here:

https://www.resilientpeople.ca
https://resilient-people.simplecast.com/

Also! If you like taking quizzes and want to know the extent to which you engage in healthy habits that underpin well-being, success and resilience, you can take find out your Balanced Empowerment score HERE.

 Andrea Johnson is a Professional Encourager. Her mission of helping others find true freedom is expressed through coaching, motivational speaking, podcasting and building a global community of women helping women. She is certified by the John Maxwell Team, an international Leadership Coaching organization, and her personal philosophy, Intentional Optimism, is a comprehensive approach to Personal Growth and Leadership Training viewed through the lens of hope. Andrea is dedicated to organizational excellence, process improvement and personnel development, and leverages her administrative and managerial experience in the university medical research setting to motivate, train, coach and mentor business women and entrepreneurs. Andrea’s drive for personal growth and development is evidenced in her 20+ years of professional goal setting and accomplishment for her and her staff; and on a personal level, in successful Gastric Bypass Surgery (down 190 lbs since 2005), and a 3 year private adoption journey from decision to finalization.
 
Resources: ● Website: www.theintentionaloptimist.com ○ Individual Coaching ○ DISC Assessments and Personal Growth Plans: www.theintentionaloptimist.com/DISC ○ Team Training and Development: Andrea Johnson - The John Maxwell Team ● Facebook: ○ Andrea M. Johnson ○ The Intentional Optimist ○ Private Facebook Group - The Intentional Optimist: Building a global community of women helping and mentoring other women. ● Linked In Andrea M. Johnson 

In this episode I speak with professional speaker Archie Messersmith-Bunting about his experiences of and recovery from suicidality, major mental-illness and substance abuse. Adopted at the age of 2 into a highly religious community, Archie struggled to accept and acknowledge his sexuality. A single decision one evening to take drugs for the first time led him into a downward spiral.

His story is a very human and moving account of what it takes to really get to grips with your difficulties, and the steps needed to move forward. Archie embodies hope through speaking at college campuses and corporate groups about the importance of feelings - the one focus Archie felt was missing from many of the treatment options offered during his process of recovery.

Oh and the other aspect of Archie's story that is unique, was the pivotal role his dog played in all of this.

You can connect with Archie and follow his work here:
https://www.archiecares.com/

In this interview I speak with marketing coach, Alexandra Ionitta, about how she gave up her dream job and found her passion for coaching people. This interview is packed full of mindset tips that I know will have relevance to all listeners, particularly if you have ever felt that you need something different from life.

Alexandra Ionitta is the CEO & Director of CHAINS OFF MEDIA, an out-of-the-box company that combines mindset, strategy and tools to revolutionize your business and help you create your Legacy, no matter the outside circumstances. Besides her Global Marketing & Sales Degree, Alexandra is trained in subconscious reprogramming, the principles of energy, and universal laws, and helps people create quantum leaps in their life and business with ease, flow, and joy.

You can find out more here:
www.alexandraionitta.com

Helen, based in New Zealand is an Emotion and Body code practitioner. What led her to this path however, was the experience of losing her 18 year old daughter in a tragic and random car accident in 2017.

In this interview Helen shares the lessons that her daughter taught her in life and the lessons she has learned since her death.

If you would like to connect with Helen, you can do so in these places:

Instagram @healing2bu_
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/helenmorris.nz/

If you are interested in knowing more about the Emotion Code, you can find the book by Dr Bradly  Nelson in all good bookstores.

Heather Jean, co-founder of Confidence Through Cabaret, and I discuss how the pandemic both took away and provided huge opportunities for her. After losing most of her executive and team professional development work due to the pandemic, the pandemic and associated lockdowns provided the opportunity for her to create a new professional identity, and also really find herself after experiencing domestic violence in her first marriage, the death of her second husband to early onset Alzheimer's, and her own cancer diagnosis.

You can connect further with Heather through:

www.confidencethroughcabaret.com
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkJiPVgL6woSAQ1Wpa4K68w

and join the community here:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/confidencethroughcabaretcommunity

In this episode I interview Heather Rider who was forced to transformed her life from being a high achieving tech exec due to a debilitating autoimmune illness triggered by high functioning anxiety.

Now, Heather coaches and heals other women who themselves suffer from high functioning anxiety using a range of holistic methods. If you are a type A personality - always trying to overachieve, to make sure that your work is 'perfect' then the chances are anxiety is playing a role in these behaviours.

Heather's story illustrates how our physiology can react to extreme emotional and psychological pressure, and we also talk about the powerful yet simple techniques you can use to move forward with hope.

You can connect with Heather in the following ways:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/hrider/
https://www.theenergysynergist.com/

In this episode I interview author, Sam Rose, about her new book 'Gut Feelings: Coping with cancer and living with Lynch Syndrome'. Sam, at the age of 33 has had three cancer diagnoses thanks to the genetic disorder Lynch Syndrome which prevents the body from fighting cancer cells. In her book and this interview, Sam provides an honest and open account of the physical and emotional impact of living through diagnoses and treatment, and the ongoing challenge of living with Lynch Syndrome.

The book is an absolute must read and is available from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Gut-Feelings-Coping-Cancer-Syndrome/dp/B08T6BTJZ3

You can reach out to Sam through her website: https://www.writersam.co.uk

For more information about Lynch Syndrome: https://www.macmillan.org.uk/cancer-information-and-support/worried-about-cancer/causes-and-risk-factors/lynch-syndrome-ls