Are you an overthinker? Perhaps you ruminate on past situations, worry about future events or are fearful of the judgement of others?

Overthinking can affect both our work and personal lives as well as how we show up with confidence as a leader. Our thoughts also directly impact the levels of daily stress we experience and how quickly we can recover from it.

In reality, our minds are natural overthinkers if we let them be. Tahirih McLaren-Brown is helping people to take control and be the boss of their brain through mindfulness and meditation.

We discussed:

• What mindfulness is and how it can benefit you
• How you can have more awareness and control of your thoughts and emotions
• What you can do if you’re feeling worried or anxious about returning to the office
• Ways you can handle uncertainty and even embrace it
• A quick mindfulness exercise you can do anywhere to instantly ease your stress

If you’d like to learn the Four Step Pause that Tahirih shared and get...

Menopause is something that all women will experience in their life.

However it’s not something that’s well understood or openly spoken about.  

The symptoms of menopause will almost certainly affect how you work but it’s often seen to be a taboo subject which leaves women struggling in silence - in fact, 1 in 4 women consider leaving their roles during that time.  

As well as the 34+ physical symptoms a woman could experience there’s also the lessor known psychological effects. Many women feel anxiety, worry, brain fog, lack of concentration or forgetfulness, affecting their confidence and self-esteem in their job.  

In the most recent episode of the Influence & Impact for Female Leaders podcast, I interviewed Deborah Garlick from Henpicked Menopause. Deborah is on a mission to ensure women are supported throughout menopause through awareness, education and workplace...

Menopause is something that all women will experience in their life however it’s not something that’s well understood or openly spoken about. The symptoms of menopause will almost certainly affect how you work but it’s often seen to be a taboo subject which leaves women struggling in silence.

In this week’s episode I interview Deborah Garlick from Henpicked Menopause who’s on a mission to ensure women are supported throughout menopause through awareness, education and workplace training.

We discuss:

• What menopause is, how it can affect you and our personal experiences
• Deborah’s advice for getting the help you need from your GP
• How you can talk about menopause at work and how it’s impacting you
• Ways that leaders can support colleagues that are going through menopause
• What organisations can do to be more aware, supportive and menopause friendly

Throughout the interview, Deborah provided fantastic, practical tips...

I learnt how to end my anxiety for good using this one simple approach that you can do today 

The number of people who struggle with anxiety is rising each year and the pandemic has certainly heightened this. If the past year has made you feel more anxious and you’re feeling apprehensive about a return to “normal”, you’re not alone.  

Although anxiety is something that is very personal, we experience it in all sorts of situations, including the workplace. Many of the managers and leaders that I work with mention anxiety as one of the things they struggle with.  

I know how they feel.  

I’m naturally quite an anxious person which I think was triggered by my tendency to want to be in control combined with my shy personality.  

We all feel different physical symptoms for anxiety. You could have a racing heart, feel very hot, sweat, be unable to think straight or...

Many managers and leaders that I work with mention anxiety as one of the things they struggle with, both personally and in the workplace.

This week, I’m bringing back one of my most popular podcast episodes about how we can tackle these feelings of anxiety and be calmer and more confident at work.

 In this episode I share:

• My experience with anxiety throughout my life
• My thoughts on where it comes from and what we can do about it
• A powerful approach that I’ve used to end my anxiety for good
• A guided meditation that you can use whenever you feel anxious

Although many of us experience anxiety, it’s not something that needs to rule your daily life or affect your leadership in the workplace.

I hope you enjoy the meditation and please come back to it as a tool when you need it.

FREE MASTERCLASS

Join my free masterclass – How To Worry Less About Work – where I share 5 practical strategies that you can use to worry less and reclaim...

I get a huge amount of inspiration, insight and wisdom from books and the wise authors who write them.

Before I had my son, the perfect free Sunday for me would look like a trip to a bookshop where I would spend hours perusing the shelves, reading parts of books and selecting a couple to take home.

To me, there is nothing better than being in a bookshop, surrounded by shelves full of other people’s ideas, insights, experiences, wisdom and views of the world.

There are many books that have made me see the world differently, inspired me into action and even changed the course of my life. Other books have helped me know myself better, release the fear and self-doubt that’s held me back and show up more as my authentic self.

Most of these books are non-fiction, the authors teaching and sharing through their life experiences.

Here are 10 non-fiction books that have made a profound impact on my life which I hope can do the same for you.

Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth...

I get a huge amount of inspiration, insight and wisdom from books. There are books that I’ve read that have changed my life, made me see the world differently and inspired me into action.

Other books have helped me know myself better, release the fear and self-doubt that’s held me back and show up more as my authentic self.

In this week’s podcast episode, I’m sharing some of these books with you.

Listen for:

• The 10 non-fiction books that have made a big impact on my life
• Valuable ideas and lessons from these books
• How they’ve shaped my personal experiences, confidence and mindset

You can find the full list of books here.

Now it’s your turn.  Choose one from my list that spoke to you or buy that book that’s been on your “to read” list for a while. When you’re finished, tell me your thoughts and what your biggest takeaway was.

If you’ve read any incredible personal development books recently, I’d...

“There are two types of people. Those who are burnt out, and those who are in denial about being burnt out”   - Greg McKeown

I loved my first Director of Fundraising role.  

In some ways it was my dream job.  

And on paper it was perfect.  

But it was leading me – or I was leading myself – to full blown burnout.  

This is my story of burnout and recovery. I want to share this with you as well as some tips and resources so you can recognise whether you’re on the path to burnout and what you can do to help yourself.  

In this Director of Fundraising role, I had been brought in to help the organisation and team after a difficult time. I knew I had been hired to turn around their income and quickly.  

I certainly felt the expectations on me from the Board and CEO and then I poured huge amounts of pressure onto myself. I literally felt like all...

“There are two types of people. Those who are burnt out, and those who are in denial about being burnt out” - Greg McKeown

Burnout is on the rise and I’ve noticed, particularly since the pandemic began, that more and more people are on the path to burnout. With increased responsibilities and stress coupled with often unrealistic expectations, and the boundaries between work and life having completely disappeared, it’s easy to see why.

In this week's episode, I’m helping you to recognise your own signs of burnout and what you can do about it.

I share:

• Where burnout comes from and what causes it
• What the different stages of burnout are
• The types of behaviour that lead to burnout and how you can recognise your warning signs
• My personal story of burnout and how I now prioritise my wellbeing

After listening to this episode, I encourage you to pause for five minutes and assess how you’re feeling right now and whether you’re on the path...

The way work is designed doesn’t work for so many of us for so many reasons. I believe that the value we place on productivity and ticking off the to do list is resulting in overwork, burnout and ineffective leaders.

In this week’s episode, I’m sharing why I think it’s time that leaders take a step back, question the structure of their work and focus on what really makes an impact in their role.

I’ve combined this one of my podcast episodes from 2019 – Hard work is not the answer.

I speak about:

• The culture of productivity and why we should reimagine the way we work
• How you can challenge a common leadership belief held by many
• Why thinking, feeling and acting like a leader is more important than your to do list
• Practical steps for prioritising your own development as a leader

Overinvesting in your role, working overtime and pushing yourself towards burnout isn’t healthy for you or your team.

If you're working really hard and still not...