The Key Learning Points:

1. The challenge of being comfortable as a woman working in a male-dominated industry 

2. Advice for young people working in a new sector with comparatively little work experience 

3. The expectation for women to have children and the fear of children impacting people’s careers

On this episode, we’re joined by the lady crowned Woman of the Year in the technology category, at the 2019 Women in Protection Awards. An ambitious sales professional working in the life and health insurance industry, currently heading up the national accounts team at iPipeline, and someone who is a bit of a social media pro! It’s the wonderful Stephanie Hydon.

Steph was the first in her family to go to university, where she studied politics and eventually entered the work of work in a technology sales role. After a number of years, she joined iPipeline as a national account manager and worked her way up through the business. Steph is now head of national accounts at the technology business, managing a team, and adding that she has had four promotions in just the five years that she’s worked in the industry!

As a young woman in the heavily male-dominated financial tech space, Steph explained that she faced challenges, particularly because she was trying to sell to people who had been in the industry for 20 years when she had no track record and little prior experience. When she started work, she was in an all-male sales team, which she accepts was fun at times, but was also aware that she wanted to stay true to herself and not feel pressured to act like one of the boys. She adds: “I’ve never been the typical girl, I’ve always been a bit of tomboy. I go to the football, I grew up in a pub. So it was natural for me. But I could understand how somebody else who hasn’t had the same life experiences as me would actually be really intimidated in that environment. A lot of it is about fitting in.”

We move onto the topic of children and Steph explains that the idea has never appealed to her but was shocked when a previous male colleague challenged her on this, saying: “But that’s what we’re put on this earth to do. You’re going against the natural order of things. There’s something wrong with you?!” Steph explains that it’s just the route that women are expected to take but says that there’s a real fear around having children and the impact this will have on careers, with her female colleagues often saying to her: “You’re so lucky you don’t want to have children.” 

We finish our chat with Steph providing three pieces of valuable advice for young people starting out in the world of work: 

1. Find the right people 

2. Work hard 

3. Ask as many questions as you possibly can

The Key Learning Points:

1. The impact of the ‘scare tactic’ approach on young people’s trust in the insurance industry

2. The importance of encouraging conversations about intersectionality in the workplace

3. Tips for companies on how to attract young people to the insurance industry - from the perspective of Gen Z

In this episode of the Risky Mix podcast we’re joined by Chloe Allison who is in her final year at Nottingham Trent University, studying English Literature. Chloe is currently exploring new job opportunities as she prepares to enter the world of work and we were really keen to have her on the podcast to get her perspective on our industry, views from someone looking in, from someone who has never worked in insurance. In a number of our previous episodes we speak about making insurance an industry of choice for young people, so Chloe is here today to help us better understand how we do that!

Chloe tells us about her choice to study English Literature and her interest in intersectionality, which she explains is “now widely used to illustrate the interplay between any kind of discrimination, whether it’s based on gender, race, age, class, socioeconomic status, physical or mental ability, sexual identify, religion or ethnicity.” She adds that essentially, “your life experiences are based on how multiple identities intermingle and different kinds of prejudices can be amplified in different ways when put together.” Chloe explains that she is an intersectional feminist and argues that “resistance needs to be inclusive”. She believes that rights movements need to be inclusive for all women, including transgender women, black women, LGBTQ women, and women from different classes. 

When asked how she is approaching job applications, Chloe explains that she’s focussing on the companies that she consumes and those which are taking an ethical approach: “I choose to consume from companies who are more ethically-based.” She also explains that she wants to see how businesses are employing intersectionality, because she believes that “growth doesn’t come from people who are the same, it comes from people who are different.” 

Chloe’s experience with insurance hasn’t been the best, explaining that in her opinion it comes across as a little exploitative. She adds that her car insurer makes it hard to claim, leaving her sometimes feeling like “what’s the point?”. Chloe recognises that insurance should be there to help people, but her perception is that insurers are more driven by money. Part of this is down to a lack of awareness around how insurance businesses operate and how they price business: “You imagine an office, and people on the phone, that’s about it!”, Chloe adds. With reference to life insurance specifically, Chloe mentions some of the TV adverts that she’s seen, expressing a dislike of the scare tactic approach. 

When asked what we can do as an industry to attract more talent, Chloe explains that for her, the insurance sector needs to be more inclusive and diverse. A more diverse and supported workplace will encourage more people into the industry and will help to boost staff morale. She adds: “Insurance seems almost like a scary industry to go into because I don’t know a lot about it.” Chloe believes that by showing support and driving initiatives to improve diversity and inclusion, consumer trust in insurance will improve and subsequently younger people will be more attracted to work in the sector. 

The Key Learning Points:

1. How an understanding of neuroscience and human behaviour can help people in both their personal and business life 

2. The importance in stepping out of your comfort zone to overcome imposter syndrome 

3. Advice on setting goals and practicing mindfulness to achieve greater mental clarity and problem-solving ability 

In this episode of the Risky Mix podcast we welcome back Claire Koryczan, founder of Beyond, and a lady who is passionate about the relationship between people, tech and business. In episode 18 we learnt about Claire’s entrepreneurial career journey to date, previously holding senior positions at tech start-up Decoded and going on to launch Beyond. We welcomed Claire back onto the podcast to explore the fascinating world of neuroscience and how this has played into her career.

We kick off by asking Claire what had inspired her interest in neuroscience and human behaviour. Claire explains that her parents separated when she was 15, which left her thinking “why is this happening?” She wanted to find answers in life and became curious to understand “why we do the things that we do”, which sparked, in her, a real fascination around psychology. She learnt all about the role of the prefrontal cortex, which she explains is the part of the brain which makes us human. It is this part that enables us to problem solve and think creatively. 

Claire explains that this appreciation of human behaviour can have a positive impact on both personal and business life: “The more that we understand about ourselves, the more that we are able to have empathy and understand others.” She adds that this understanding helps to improve communication and therefore promotes the formation of stronger relationships with people. Claire adds that it’s important in business to be aware of what’s going on in our minds, particularly for those business leaders who are making quick decisions every day and are operating in an uncertain environment.

Claire faced imposter syndrome when she went on maternity leave around five years ago: “I left feeling like I was a master of my art. 15 years in my career, still running around at seven/eight months pregnant feelings like I could conquer the world.” She took six months off then went back as a leader within the business and recalls thinking “I feel like an apprentice!” She adds: “You cannot underestimate how having a lack of confidence about your ability has an impact on everything that you do.” How did she overcome those feelings of imposter syndrome? Her approach: “Stepping out of my comfort zone and moving towards that really uncomfortable feeling”, adding that for her, bravery is the antidote to imposter syndrome.

Claire explains that most of us are on autopilot throughout our daily lives and adds that it’s really important for us to have goals, not only as a way to move us forward but also from a neuroscience perspective. She adds that when we set an intention and say “we want to achieve this”, the reticular activating system within our brain will automatically look for ways to help us achieve that goal. So, her advice is to choose good thoughts and take more control of those unhelpful ones. 

When asked what things Claire would recommend to help shift mindset, she answers mindfulness and exercise. Both help to achieve mental clarity by removing unhelpful distractions and allow easy access to the creative and problem-solving areas of the brain.

The Key Learning Points:

1. The Impact of menopause on women in the workplace

2. How an understanding of diet could help premenopausal women manage some of their symptoms

3. Tips for women on how to implement nutritional changes in their everyday life whilst balancing a career 

In this episode of the Risky Mix podcast we welcome back Emma Bardwell, nutritional therapist, writer, and lifestyle coach with a particular focus on female health and wellbeing. Back on episode 17, Emma helped us to demystify the menopause. In this episode we look at the role that nutrition can play in managing symptoms and the impact of menopause on women in the workplace.

Starting off, Emma explains what perimenopausal women can do in terms of nutrition to better manage their symptoms. She says: “There isn’t a menopause diet, but what I would point women towards is the Mediterranean diet”. A diet which centres on fruit, vegetables and oily fish. Emma explains the importance of fish as a source of omega-3 and tells us about the acronym, SMASH: Salmon, Mackerel, Anchovies, Sardines and Herring, which are all great sources of omega-3 and act as anti-inflammatories. For Emma, it’s all about a balanced plate; 50% vegetables, 25% protein and 25% complex carbs. For hot flushes, Emma explains that women can get plant oestrogens from some types of food, like soya, flaxseeds, and oats. She explains that magnesium is another important mineral for those who suffer from anxiety and insomnia, which can be found in green leafy vegetables and dark chocolate. 

As busy working women, how can we integrate these nutritional tips into our day-to-day lives? Emma explains that being prepared is key and recommends batch cooking to ensure that women have something nutritious with them at all times and aren’t tempted to reach for the chocolate bars and sandwiches when they get hungry. 

So what’s the impact of the menopause in the workplace? Emma explains that the average age of menopause is 51, which is often a point when women are at the top of their career game. She adds: “Women over 40 are the fastest growing workforce demographic”, yet sadly, “one in four women are considering retiring or resigning. Often I get people in clinic, who because of their symptoms, are demoting themselves or reducing their hours.” This not only impacts female employees but also their employers who are losing skills and experience. Emma continues: “It’s so important for line managers to be educated on the symptoms and how they might be affecting women, because actually, the women themselves quite often, are totally unaware that this is happening to them.” 

The Key Learning Points:

1. How poor mental health can impact your career and make you reassess your life goals

2. The impact that having children, whilst working at a law firm, can have on career progression 

3. The changing discourse surrounding mental health and the importance of removing the stigma around mental health struggles 

In this episode of the Risky Mix podcast, we’re joined by Joanne Theodoulou, a lady who has held a number of senior positions within financial services law and is currently general counsel and company secretary at Simply Business. Jo is a mental health advocate and sits on the board of trustees at leading mental health charity, Mind.

We hear more about Jo’s story, losing both of her parents by age 15, her ambition to become financially independent and entering a career in law after university. She entered the world of work as a trainee solicitor at a top City law firm and was lucky to spend six months working in New York. Jo explains that she often worked very long hours with the law firm but adds: “I remember noticing women who were older than me still doing that, and I remember thinking, I don’t want to be doing this, I don’t want to be in the office at midnight on a regular basis when I’m a bit more senior. I’m happy to do it now while I’m still learning, but I’m not sure I want to be doing this forever.”

Jo is married and now has two teenagers. Her original plan was to have children in her mid to late 30s, potentially after becoming a partner. But Jo explains that children entered the picture slightly earlier than planned after she experienced a period of mental illness: “Things changed for me quite dramatically when I was 28. I had a very intense period of being mentally ill. I had a deep depression that then turned into a manic episode. I was psychotic for a while and ended up being sectioned under the Mental Health Act and spent six weeks in a psychiatric clinic before I was diagnosed and then found the right treatment and the right medications.” Jo explains that that experience made her re-evaluate what she wanted and when she wanted it, and so a couple of years later she had her children in her early 30s. 

Jo went back to work at the law firm after taking a number of months off on maternity leave. She worked on a flexible basis, still working five days per week, but on reduced hours, which gave her afternoon time to spend with her son. She explains that this was unusual within law firms and says that she did see an impact on her career progression. Jo admits that, after having children, she didn’t put herself forward for the big transactions, the ones that used to excite her, because there was too much risk that she would have to work extremely long hours, which she didn’t want. Naturally, the smaller projects got less exposure, to both clients and partners within the firm. 

Jo explains that when she returned to work after her mental health episode, she didn’t talk to anyone about it: “It was 1999, and I can tell you, no one was talking about mental health then, at all. I came back into the workplace and I didn’t talk about it at all, I didn’t tell anyone where I’d been or what had been going on for me.” Jo explained that because she was a junior lawyer, she felt she still had a lot to do in terms of proving herself and her ability and she didn’t want anything to knock her back.

Becoming a board trustee of mental health charity, Mind, was a turning point for Jo: “If I am going to be serious about taking on a role like this, I want to be a real ambassador for the charity. To do that I need to be open about my own story. And I never had been. So that was a little bit of a turning point.” 

The Key Learning Points: 

1. Tips for companies on how to promote social mobility and give young people a realistic insight into working life 

2. The role culture plays in determining the experiences employees have in the workplace

3. The positive impact authenticity can have on how employees view their leaders

In this episode of the Risky Mix podcast we’re joined by Alan Thomas and Hasani Jess, two of the leading men at Simply Business, a digital insurance broker with a great culture around diversity and inclusion. A successful career in the insurance industry has led to Alan recently taking on the UK CEO role at Simply Business, while Hasani has held senior tech roles in a variety of tech and financial services businesses. He’s now CTO at Simply Business, as well as being a diversity champion. 

Alan explains the steps that Simply Business has taken to promote social mobility. The first being an apprenticeship program which helps to support young people from a range of different backgrounds in getting that initial career foothold. The insurtech has also run different intern and summer programs, providing the opportunity for young people to observe what working in the City looks like. Alan explains that they work with a charity which supports schools in Barking and Dagenham, and statistics showed that the pupils had very little idea of what a City job looks like and there was absolutely no expectation that they could get a job at a City business like Simply Business. For Alan, it’s all about taking away some of the mystery around City jobs and breaking down those barriers to entry.

We spend some time hearing about the career paths that both men have taken. Alan explains that he has held a number of senior positions at insurance businesses over the years, including RSA and Hiscox, and it was in these senior roles that he observed just how important company culture is: “The bit that really excites me is the amount of impact you can have through the culture that you help define. By setting the criteria in the right way you can really make it a different experience for the people that work there, and the outcomes can be completely different.” Hasani, after finding the world of journalism rather “boring”, made the transition into technology after his mum purchased a PC. He started his tech career as a consultant at BT Syntegra before moving into financial services. 

As a B Corporation, Simply Business takes a broad approach to business, placing weight on company culture and values. As a result of this, Alan explains that they currently have 60% women in leadership positions. They believe that diverse teams are better-performing and for Alan: “It’s really important to show up and have a bit of fun at work. You’ve got to make the environment a fun place to be and frankly the most fun teams to be a part of are the most diverse teams where you get different viewpoints.” 

What can other businesses looking to evolve culturally, do? Hasani says it’s about the leadership being authentic. It’s important to acknowledge that those leaders may be parents, they may be caring for elderly parents, some may have dependents. Ultimately, they all have lives outside of work. “Sharing part of their lives with their people will change the dynamic. Because then they will stop looking like the CEO or CTO, the super-being who has no challenges.” Hasani encourages business leaders to show some vulnerability with their people. 

The Key Learning Points:

1. The challenges new mothers face when returning to the workplace

2. The importance of female role models in reassuring other working mums that they can return to a career after having children

3. Tips on how to change attitudes towards paternity leave and flexible working

A few weeks back, we were joined by Hilary Banks from Vitality and had a very candid conversation around her career journey and her experience becoming a working mum and having her two young sons. The episode aired on the Friday 10th January. We invited Hilary back onto the Risky Mix podcast to carry on the conversation around motherhood and the challenges she faced returning to the workplace.

Hilary talks to us about the importance of female role models in the industry, women that have had children and returned to work, with whom we are able to have open and honest conversations about starting a family. She believes that we need to be able to have those conversations without feeling that our careers or positions in the workplace are in jeopardy. 

Hilary discusses the challenges she faced around balancing work and family, especially when her child was starting nursery and was regularly falling sick. She talks about the guilt she felt juggling both her sick child and work when she knew that she should have been committed to being at home with her family, explaining that “unless you've got people above you that are saying, this is ridiculous, you don't need to do this” we tend to try and do both. She feels that the key is to have women in senior positions to act as role models, helping us to feel that it is ok to be with our sick children and not feel the necessity to work.  

Hilary feels that we still have a way to go when it comes to flexible working, especially for new parents. There are so many situations where the fathers have just two weeks off, which she believes is just not enough, so there needs to be more balance when it comes to paternity leave also. She says that “There also needs to be that acknowledgement that men feel that way too and they want to spend time with their kids, and we need to be able to allow them the flexibility to do exactly that.”

Hilary returned to work 13 weeks after having her first child and she talks about the pressure and difficulties new mothers face having to make the difficult decision around when to return to work. She suggests the idea of paid phased return to work, to help women with the financial aspect and also the mental challenges that many face during this period.

Hilary muses about what she would have told her 18-year-old self when starting out. She would tell herself to take more risks and not be frightened to fail. She thinks it’s important to throw yourself into situations where you are going to be disappointed, as you will learn from those experiences. She adds “ I've put myself in a position where I've done it multiple times so that I can demonstrate to my business that I'm a serious contender and don't mess with me!“

She would also ask herself to be more authentic around being a mum. “I will always be a working mum, and my children will grow up with parents with incredible work ethics, but I definitely have massive regrets over periods when I should have been dedicated to my children.”

A lot has changed since Hilary was last on maternity leave across the industry and Vitality is keen to express how they support their staff when they start a family. They've confirmed that they support new parents by offering equal maternity and paternity leave to all staff and up to 18 weeks paid leave depending on the amount of continuous service a person has. New parents are supported back into the workplace with either formal or informal flexible working arrangements and appropriate facilities for expressing milk are being provided in all sites.

The Key Learning Points:

 1. The importance of combining business, people, and technology in the insurance industry

 2. Advice for people in the insurance industry on how to better understand technology and data

 3. How technology is changing the future of insurance

In this podcast, we are joined by Claire Koryczan, the founder of Beyond, whose mission it is to help business leaders on their transformation journey. Transformation isn't only about technology, it's often more about the human side in business and it's that relationship between people, tech and business that Claire is deeply passionate about and why she started Beyond. She has had an interesting and entrepreneurial career journey to date, holding senior positions at tech start-up Decoded and is a non-exec director for an insurtech start-up. She even closed the Bank of England's Tech Fortnite event, which explored technology developments and their implications for the bank and wider world. 

Claire talks to us about how she met with the small tech start-up, Decoded and fell in love with the proposition. She remembers saying to them, just after her second interview, “even if you decide not to hire me, I'm going to be one of your clients, because I believe in this business so much!”. She describes her amazing journey with them, helping to grow the team and the business. 

At the end of 2018, Claire left the corporate world to set up her own business, Beyond, with the desire to empower others with her knowledge and experience of combining tech, business and people. She’s supported a number of businesses going through change and transformation, gaining an appreciation of their leadership, culture and the challenges they face. “You're not going to know how to do any code yourself, but you need to understand the lifeblood of digital products and data. Everything that's digital or that's been created is underpinned by data.” She feels that this really is an exciting time in the insurance industry, as we are sitting on so much data, and she believes that there are lots of opportunities ahead to put customers at the heart of that. Claire knows that most people get confused by all the tech jargon and terminology, which is also constantly changing, so she wants to help people understand the context and how everything fits together. 

The Key Learning Points:

1. That 75% of women experience symptoms of perimenopause and 25% of women find these symptoms debilitating 

2. The misconceptions around menopause and how to properly communicate your symptoms with your employer in order to better manage your work

3. Advice on the different approaches you can take to help manage menopause 

In this week’s podcast episode, we chat to Emma Bardwell, a nutritional therapist, writer and lifestyle coach with a specific focus on female health and wellbeing, intuitive eating and smart lifestyle. Emma has combined her nutrition knowledge with a passion for writing and raising reader awareness on issues that affect women. This week, Emma is here to help us demystify the menopause.

The menopause is a stage when periods stop, and typically affects women around the age of 51. Emma explains that the menopause is often used as an umbrella term for the symptoms that actually lead up to the menopause, called perimenopause. Perimenopause can last anything from a few months to around 10 years, so it is important for younger women to be aware of what we can potentially start to feel. Emma goes on to say that symptoms can start out slow and come on incrementally as progesterone levels are fluctuating. It’s understood that there are 34 symptoms associated with the menopause, but Emma believes there to be more like 70. Not all women experience symptoms, but 75% of women experience some and 25% of women find them debilitating. Symptoms can range from flushing, night sweats, anxiety, even tinnitus and the sensation of skin crawling. 

Emma recommends that women keep a diary of their symptoms and how they are feeling and adds that many people mistake the brain fog, anxiety and panic attacks for depression, when it can actually be hormone levels wreaking havoc instead. Emma talks about being prepared, rather than scared, as the menopause is a natural life stage and it’s a transition rather than a disease. She advises women to try to manage their symptoms by explaining to their employer how they are feeling and perhaps getting time off to see the GP or even working from home may be beneficial. Meditation and cognitive behavioural therapy can also help reduce anxiety and have a positive effect on cortisol levels. 

Emma explains that these days there are two approaches women can take to help them navigate this journey, one is hormone replace therapy (HRT), and the other would be natural remedies which can provide an alternative solution. She adds that exercise can also have a great impact on stress levels and raises the importance of getting enough sleep. Emma says that it’s about “finding the people who talk your language, because menopause is actually incredibly unique. Everybody experiences it in a really individual way so it's finding somebody who talks your language and can approach it in the way that you want to approach it”

The Key Learning Points:

1. The challenges new mothers face when returning to the workplace

2. The importance of female role models in reassuring other working mums that they can return to a career after having children

3. Tips on how to change attitudes towards paternity leave and flexible working

A few weeks back, we were joined by Hilary Banks from Vitality and had a very candid conversation around her career journey and her experience becoming a working mum and having her two young sons. The episode aired on the Friday 10th January. We invited Hilary back onto the Risky Mix podcast to carry on the conversation around motherhood and the challenges she faced returning to the workplace.

Hilary talks to us about the importance of female role models in the industry, women that have had children and returned to work, with whom we are able to have open and honest conversations about starting a family. She believes that we need to be able to have those conversations without feeling that our careers or positions in the workplace are in jeopardy. 

Hilary discusses the challenges she faced around balancing work and family,  especially when her child was starting nursery and was regularly falling sick. She talks about the guilt she felt juggling both her sick child and work when she knew that she should have been committed to being at home with her family, explaining that “unless you've got people above you that are saying, this is ridiculous, you don't need to do this” we tend to try and do both. She feels that the key is to have women in senior positions to act as role models, helping us to feel that it is ok to be with our sick children and not feel the necessity to work.  

Hilary feels that we still have a way to go when it comes to flexible working, especially for new parents. There are so many situations where the fathers have just two weeks off, which she believes is just not enough, so there needs to be more balance when it comes to paternity leave also. She says that “There also needs to be that acknowledgement that men feel that way too and they want to spend time with their kids, and we need to be able to allow them the flexibility to do exactly that.”

Hilary returned to work 13 weeks after having her first child and she talks about the pressure and difficulties new mothers face having to make the difficult decision around when to return to work. She suggests the idea of  paid phased return to work, to help women with the financial aspect and also the mental challenges that many face during this period.
 
 Hilary muses about what she would have told her 18-year-old self when starting out. She would tell herself to take more risks and not be frightened to fail. She thinks it’s important to throw yourself into situations where you are going to be disappointed, as you will learn from those experiences. She adds “ I've put myself in a position where I've done it multiple times so that I can demonstrate to my business that I'm a serious contender and don't mess with me!“

She would also ask herself to be more authentic around being a mum. “I will always be a working mum, and my children will grow up with parents with incredible work ethics, but I definitely have massive regrets over periods when I should have been dedicated to my children.”

A lot has changed since Hilary was last on maternity leave across the industry and Vitality is keen to express how they support their staff when they start a family. They've confirmed that they support new parents by offering equal maternity and paternity leave to all staff and up to 18 weeks paid leave depending on the amount of continuous service a person has. New parents are supported back into the workplace with either formal or informal flexible working arrangements and appropriate facilities for expressing milk are being provided in all sites.