The Inspiration North Podcast

#148 Sheri-Leigh Miles -  Playing around at the edges 

Sheri-Leigh talks to us about the joy of playing around at the edges. 

We talk about:

• The power of making sure you’re doing what you enjoy.
• Knowing environmental science was her thing, before it was a thing.
• And learning all she needs to know about rocks in a week!

Sheri-Leigh is Co-Founder and Director of NETpositive Futures. She helps organisations, teams and networks understand how sustainability links to organisational excellence.  Her Master’s degree is in Education for Sustainability and her career has focused on learning and education in its broadest sense.

She was involved in the development of the UKs first sector-level sustainability strategies and spent 7 years on the Board of the Environmental Association of Universities and Colleges alongside her main role as part of the award-winning Ecoversity team at the University of Bradford, the first whole-institution sustainability engagement programme in the UK.

She was invited to become a Fellow of the RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce) in 2018 in recognition of her sustainability work in the education sector. She teaches sustainability on Newcastle University Business School’s Executive Education programmes as a visiting lecturer and collaborates with the team on an innovative project to embed the Sustainable Development Goals into their programme. 

She is also Director of a Social Enterprise and Worker’s Co-operative called 4Seasons which supports individuals who are differently able to ‘live the life they choose’, primarily through supported employment linked to the outdoors.

She has recently become an ‘accidental software developer’ and her current focus is based around the NETpositive Software developed to support sustainability engagement across complex organisations.

Key Resources:

Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com

Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth 

Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth 

Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/ 

Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north

Sheri-Leigh on Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheri-leigh/

NETpositive Futures Website -  https://netpositivefutures.co.uk/ 

#147 Shelley Farnham & Julia Harris - Complex Strengths and Complex Connexions

Shelley and Julia talk to us about navigating complex strengths and the importance of connections! 

We talk about:

• Julia navigating school when neurodivergent and feeling that her ‘soul was too loud’.
• The importance of authenticity and being able to be themselves.
• And what they would choose to eat if they were invited to lunch with the Queen!

Julia (JuliaArtsJulia) is a neurodivergent (ADHD+) mum of two neurodivergent/not-so-typical sons. An artist, children's entertainer, and also neurodiversity mentor, educator and trainer at - Complex Strengths and The Neurodiverse Universe.

Shelley worked as a teacher in South Africa and then as a Teaching Assistant and SEN Support in the UK. She also has a son who is Autistic and ADHD. She started Complex Connexions as she is passionate about supporting other parents to focus on understanding, communicating and so, most importantly, on building connection with their neurodivergent child. 

Julia and Shelley have combined their strengths to create and deliver their fabulous 'All on Board for Families' course, a 5-week group coaching course to support parents of neurodivergent children. The course uses the analogy of the family being the crew on board a ship, moving from the overwhelm and confusion of struggle rock towards calm. 

Full Bios

Julia Harris (JuliaArtsJulia) is a neurodivergent (ADHD+) mum of two neurodivergent/not-so-typical sons. An artist, children's entertainer, and also neurodiversity mentor, educator and trainer at - Complex Strengths and The Neurodiverse Universe.

Julia has about over 30 years' experience of supporting neurodivergent individuals both professionally and personally, which adds to her personal experience of over 50 neurodivergent years.

Driven by a passionate belief, present since childhood, that much was amiss about how adults interact with Young People, Julia has independently studied many modalities that explore human traits and behaviours, and how to heal the many relationships that are part of human life. 

Shelley Farnham worked as a teacher in South Africa and then as a Teaching Assistant and SEN Support in the UK. She also has a son who is Autistic and ADHD. 

Although she had a teaching degree and worked in education, when her son began to experience difficulties at home and school, she had to embark on a steep learning curve - with little information and support available at the time, this was very self-directed and involved a lot of late night googling! 

When she began a course for parents of neurodivergent young people and realised how much it was helping her as a parent and also as an educator, she knew she had to share its principles and so Complex Connexions was created! She wants to support other parents to focus on understanding, communicating and so, most importantly, on building connection with their neurodivergent child. 

Key Resources:

Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com

Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth 

Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth 

Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/ 

Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north

Julia on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliaartsjulia/

Julia Arts Website - https://juliaarts.co.uk/ 

The Neurodiverse Universe Website - https://www.theneurodiverseuniverse.com/ 

Complex Strengths and The Neurodiverse Universe on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ComplexStrengths 

All On-Board Families Course - https://www.theneurodiverseuniverse.com/all-on-board-families 

Complex Connexions Website - https://www.complexconnexions.co.uk/ 

Shelley on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/shelley.farnham/ 

Shelley on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/shelleyfarnham/ 

Complex Connexions on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/complexconnexions 

Shelley’s previous Inspiration North Podcast - https://www.inspirationnorth.com/podcast/episode/363b735b/75-shelley-and-jess-farnham-dont-judge-a-person-by-what-you-see 

#146 Michelle Jones - A world where kindness is currency

Michelle talks to us about imagining a world where kindness is currency.

We talk about:

• How being content in the moment is a huge gift. 
• How in helping others we can help ourselves.
• And watching Father of the Bride so many times!

Michelle is the Founder and Director of Kind Currency, she also owns a successful wedding consultancy and has had other businesses.

She’s a Champion of Kindness, A believer in the power of community and an eternal optimist who is always smiling.

As a North East Entrepreneur, Charity Worker & Volunteer - Michelle was recently awarded with a 'Friendship Bench' for her social impact work.

She’s incredibly Resilient and describes herself as a Chronic Illness, Mental Health and Invisible Disabilities Warrior.

Michelle is also an Ambassador for Inclusion - working with local and national movements such as BE HEARD and Northern Power Women.

And most importantly, she is Wife to Steven and Mam to Dylan and Isla.

Key Resources:

Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com

Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth 

Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth 

Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/ 

Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north

Kind Currency Website - https://www.kindcurrency.co.uk/ 

Michelle Jones Weddings Website - https://www.mjweddingplanner.co.uk/ 

Michelle on Twitter - https://twitter.com/shellskindworld

Michelle on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/kindnessmakestheworldsparkle/ 

Kind Currency on Twitter - https://twitter.com/KindCurrencyCIC

Kind Currency on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/kindcurrencyclub/

Kind Currency on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/kindcurrencyclub/

Kind Currency on Tik Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@kindcurrencyclub 

Michelle Jones Weddings on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/mjweddingplanner/

#145 Kev Price - It all ends up good

Kev talks to us about how it all ends up good! 

We talk about:

• His hard-won entrepreneurial lessons.
• The importance of finding great people to work with.
• And how he found his current adventure!

Kev has more than 15 years of business experience. From co-founding a full-service digital agency in 2007 he then transitioned to digital tech products co-founding back to back start-ups. Both companies, Reframed and Ricochet, were backed by investment from both angels and VCs, the latter being successfully acquired in December 2020.

Prior to founding businesses Kev got a degree in Physics, worked freelance as a developer/programmer and online marketer then went on to work at a few digital agencies in the North East.

Key Resources:

Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com

Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth 

Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth 

Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/ 

Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north

Kev on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevprice/ 

Kev on Twitter - https://twitter.com/KevPrice 

Sub 10 platform sign up - https://sub-10.co.uk/safeguarding/ 

Sub 10 on Twitter - https://twitter.com/SUB10Learning 

#144 Linzi Trafford - Say yes and see what happens

Linzi talks to us about saying yes and seeing what happens. 

We talk about:

• Going on holiday to Thailand and deciding to stay there for 13 years and counting.
• Being in the right place at the right time.
• And the absolute joy of salt & vinegar crisps!

Linzi is a passionate writer and content marketer specialising in creating original and engaging web copy and blog articles.

She hates bad grammar, but loves a good pun. She likes to travel, but sucks at packing. She laughs loudly and often, and her spirit animal is a zebra.

When she’s not at her keyboard, you’ll find her hiking in the jungle, scuba diving, sunset gazing, or running around on the beach with her rescue dog, Blix. 

Key Resources:

Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com

Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth 

Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth 

Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/ 

Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north

Linzi on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/linzi.trafford 

Palm Tree Digital on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PalmTreeDigi

Linzi on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/linzi-trafford-b106591b5/ 

#143 Maria Watson - Creating order from chaos

Maria talks to us about the joy of creating order from chaos

We talk about:

• Not really having any ideas about what she wanted to do when she was little.
• How to make a living doing something she is great at.
• And her hunt for the perfect Chinese takeaway! 

Maria Watson - The Details Director - helps creative-minded solo business owners find simple ways to bring calm, order & organisation to their life & business so that they can get more done with less stress.  

After 18 years in Accountancy, working with hundreds of small businesses, she took her love of details, deadlines and talent for improving efficiency and created her own small business which is in its 7th year. Originally from Lancashire, Maria now lives in Cornwall working remotely with clients across the UK and the globe but she remains a no-nonsense Northerner who has an innate ability to bring calm and clarity to any business project, and that’s what her clients love.

Key Resources:

Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com

Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth 

Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth 

Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/ 

Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north

Maria’s Website - www.thedetailsdirector.com

Maria on Linkedin -  https://www.linkedin.com/maria-watson

#142 Suzi Payton - Listen, accept, commit!

Suzi talks to us about how the 3 golden rules of comedy improvisation also help with life!

We talk about:

• Her childhood dream of wanting to be a stunt woman!
• How making stuff up is the best thing in the world. 
• And how reward charts are not just for children! 

 A dynamic life coach, comedian/improv teacher and neurodiversity trainer; Suzi supports amazing people to access their strengths, build confidence and achieve their goals.

She spreads the joy of comedy improvisation and helps absolute beginners to take their first steps into a world where we make short scenes up 'on the spot', play and have SO MUCH FUN!

As an autistic ADHDer, Suzi is passionate about delivering meaningful autism and ADHD training where outdated stereotypes are kicked out of the window! She promotes a strengths based approach where ND people are accepted and understood and not 'encouraged/made' to be neurotypical.

Key Resources:

Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com

Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth 

Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth 

Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/ 

Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north

Suzi’s website - www.suzipayton.com

Suzi on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/suzipayton_coach_comedian/ 

Suzi on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/suzipaytonadhdwarrior 

Suzi’s Driven ADHD+ mindset warriors Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/353964556132593 

#141 Fiona Kearns - Being CEO confident

Fiona talks to us about being CEO confident

We talk about:

• How we should all work at being good at public speaking.
• Becoming self employed during the pandemic.
• And what her hilarious DJ name would be!

 Fiona Kearns is a Business Psychologist who helps people get rid of self-doubt, own their skillset and feel confident about playing huge in life and work. She is experienced in the IT/Telecom and non-profit worlds. 

Fiona is a member of the Association for Business Psychology and author of ‘How to Increase your Confidence’. She specialises in helping leaders fulfil their potential in business. She loves the thrill of helping clients manage their imposter syndrome to become confident, visible and more impactful. 

Key Resources:

Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com

Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth 

Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth 

Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/ 

Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north

Fiona’s Website -  https://kearnsconsultancy.com/ 

Fiona on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/fionakearns/ 

Fiona on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/KearnsConsultancyGlobal/ 

Fiona on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/kearnsconsultancy/ 

Fiona on Twitter - https://twitter.com/FionaFKearns 

Create Your Signature Talk - https://kearnsconsultancy.thinkific.com/courses/createyoursignaturetalk 

Fiona’s book - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07VP8Y4RP/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1 

#140 Adna ​​Sablyich - Living life gracefully 

Adna talks to us about how to live life gracefully.

We talk about:

• Coming to the UK from Bosnia as an 18-year old au pair to escape the war.
• How acting to her is the juice of exploring the limits of our humanity. 
• And her son’s awesome business idea!

Adna Sablyich is an actress and coach, who uses the expressive and collaborative properties of drama and stage performance, to heal the post-lockdown traumas of isolation. With over a decade in the arts and entertainment industry and as long in education, Adna brings her own brand of understanding of the benefits of drama and acting, as transformative human engagements, which surpass the narrow boundaries of arts consumption we have been accustomed to for decades of the pre-pandemic life. 

Under the flagship statement: 'improvisation is the antidote to isolation', Adna brings together adults from all walks of life, to a shared experience of awakening and recovery, at a new level of interactive fun. Check out her blogsite, to find out more about her dramatic performance expertise acourseingrace.weebly.com.

Key Resources:

Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com

Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth 

Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth 

Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/ 

Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north

Adna’s Website -  acourseingrace.weebly.com

Adna on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/adna.sablyich/ 

Adna on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/adnacadabra/

Adna on Twitter - https://twitter.com/ACourseInGrace 

#139 Paula Donnelly & James Hanson - The importance of building business relationships

Paula and James talk to us about the importance of building relationships.

We talk about:

• The value of critical thinking and different skill sets in business.
• Good design doesn’t mean reinventing the wheel.
• And how their 2 dream clients involve pizzas and fighting.

James and Paula met at the Campus North, a (now closed) digital coworking space based in Newcastle, when James first founded Layers in 2016. Now 5 years old, Layers is growing with a team of 8 and serving clients internationally.

They both love their work and believe that anyone can be good at something with enough practice but to be truly great at something you need to love what you do.

They believe that having an end solution that looks great should be a given and functionality doesn’t need to be sacrificed for aesthetics. Their mantra is to work collaboratively with clients to deliver purpose-driven solutions, not just pretty pictures.

Key Resources:

Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com

Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth 

Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth 

Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/ 

Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north

Layers Website - https://layers.studio/

Layers on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/layers-studio

Layers on Twitter - https://twitter.com/LayersStudio

Layers on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/layers.studio/

Layers on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/layersstudio/

James on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-hanson-17407b105/

James on Twitter - https://twitter.com/JamesGHanson

James on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jamesyhanson/

Paula on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/paula-donnelly/

Paula on Twitter - https://twitter.com/Paula_Mae_Donn

Paula on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/paulamae90/