Jeff Weigh Jeff Weigh

On this episode I interview with Simon Austin, sports journalist and Founder of the Training Ground Guru - shining a light on the work going on behind the scenes in professional football.

On work-life balance Simon says;

"I think it differs for each person and I'm not sure I've got in right. I love what I do and spend a lot of time engrossed in it."

Simon set up the Training Ground Guru in 2017 having previously worked for the BBC for over 10 years and as a freelancer for several national newspapers.

He didn't think there was enough information being shared and in order to understand what's going on, on match day you need to understand what's happening on the training ground during the week.

And so the Training Ground Guru was created; shining a light on what's going on behind the scenes in football. Very much breaking away from the traditional pattern of how things have also been done in the industry.

It's taken a while for Simon to build up that trust and respect with the clubs but the response has been great so far. As a knock on this has led to the media at different clubs showing an interest and getting involved as well.

I've been in journalism for over 20 years and always had a passion in this area. It's a growing area that hasn't really been covered.

If a reader says; 'that was interesting', then that's enough for Simon to take as acknowledgement for what he's set out to do in providing insight.

He's always wanted his own site and something that he's in control of; putting forward his own philosophy. There's definitely more freedom, however, Simon places a huge emphasis on 'thinking about your readers' and what they want.

In fact he thinks of them as his boss now.

Final take-away:

"Be yourself. There's a lot of pressure to conform and follow the lead of others. A lot of the time this is the road to ruin. Everyone has their own journey and their own story."

If you enjoyed the interview with Simon then please do start a conversation with him on;

Twitter

LinkedIn

Facebook

YouTube

You can also find more details on their website

If you liked this episode then please do leave the show a rating and review on iTunes or the platform that you use to listen to podcasts.


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On this episode I interview Amanda Bate, Copywriter, Social Media Marketer and champion for putting your health first. As you listen more you'll understand why this is the case.

On work-life balance Amanda says;

"It's doing what you want in your work life and doing what you want in your time away from your work. For some people their life is their work. It's so personal."

Putting your health first has taken Amanda a lot of time and a lot of planning and ultimately culminated in her taking the leap of faith and leaving behind the comfort of the corporate world.

In her words; it was to achieve the best health, the best me; the best way I could present myself to the rest of the world.

Amanda was first diagnosed with Crohn's when she was pregnant. It knocked her sideways and she was referred to see a counsellor, which at the time Amanda thought was a little over the top!

However, it was incredible to talk to somebody. What resonated most was hearing the counsellor saying; without your health, you will not be able to look after your baby.

Living with a chronic disease can often wipe Amanda out. One of the best tonics Amanda has found for her own well-being, is simply getting outside.

"My purpose is writing content and raising awareness through using words; helping other companies to promote and market themselves."

Speaking candidly, it took Amanda 3 years to make the leap and leave an organisation that she'd worked in for 15 years.

Although she was working in communication and loving the world of communication, a lot of the writing she did was structured and regulated. Amanda had what she describes as an 'itch' that she needed to scratch.

This was where her blog started and through writing about her own illness, others started to find and connect with her.

Final take-away

"Believe in yourself. Try and knock some of those fears away. Just do it."

If you enjoyed the interview with Amanda then please do start a conversation with her on;

Twitter

LinkedIn

Instagram

Facebook

You can also find more details on their website

If you liked this episode then please do leave the show a rating and review on iTunes or the platform that you use to listen to podcasts.


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On this episode I interview Andrea Goodridge, entrepreneur and owner of a business called Ad Florem and she's on a mission to help people understand more about 'energy in versus energy out'.

On work-life balance Andrea says;

"If you can find out what gives you energy and where you can add energy; that's where I get work-life balance. I make my own definition of work-life balance; I don't compare mine with anyone else's."

Andrea has a background of working within learning and development and has spent the last 20 years in this space.

In other words; she challenges leaders to challenge themselves. This includes thought processes, mind-set, how they're feeling, behaviour and the impact that they're having on other people.

Whilst others will be talking and focusing on resilience and burn out, Andrea is seeing something else with her work.

Leaders need to look inwards so that they can start to challenge themselves. There's a general feeling of leaders being overwhelmed. Andrea is seeing them literally 'falling off the table'. They don't have any energy left and they are losing sight of who they are.

Where no support is being offered (internally within organisations), leaders are looking outside and self funding development and opportunity to have time away from the chaos.

"I see my purpose as getting leaders to take time away from the chaos and focus on themselves."

This is what gets Andrea up in the morning because she knows that she's able to get leaders to take time away and focus on themselves.

In Andrea's line of work she sees that many leaders' focus is in on targets, systems or processes. They might be dedicating time to culture, teams, services or customers but what's missing is the 'them' bit.

Final take-away:

"You can't be a great leader if you can't be a great YOU."

If you enjoyed the interview with Andrea then please do start a conversation with her on;

Twitter

LinkedIn

Instagram

Facebook

You can also find more details on their website

If you liked this episode then please do leave the show a rating and review on iTunes or the platform that you use to listen to podcasts.


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On this episode I interview Tim Roberts; speaker, thought provoker and business owner on a mission to ignite your enthusiasm.

On work-life balance Tim says;

"It's a fascinating topic as I think it's very individual. I prefer the term 'life-work balance' because that's the way around it should be. Our priorities change with age."

Tim has a background of working within learning and development for a number of organisations. 2018 has been a defining year for him as he struggled and came to terms with his own mental health. Emotional intelligence and being able to draw on this has enabled him to find the strength and the courage to be able to start to talk about this.

As 2018 came to a close, Tim set up Enthuse Coaching. He's now ready to embark on a different journey in 2019 and help others find ignite (or re-ignite) their enthusiasm for life and for work.

"I'd really encourage organisations to look at people as human beings and individuals and not be afraid of saying; 'this person needs something different right now'."

A previous boss was very good at recognising this when Tim was going through challenges in relation to his own mental health. On the other hand his employer did nothing. Tim doesn't think they knew what to do and as result did't want to put any additional pressure on him.

The message here is: ask your employees what they want (and not through a survey where they have to choose from 5 options).

"I see my purpose as making people think."

My work involves working with organisations to enable them to recognise what they are in control of and ignite or re-ignite their enthusiasm for their work.

Leaders play a key part in this and Tim asks the people he works with; what do you stand for?

Tim provokes many thoughts during our interview and talks passionately about not waiting.

He says; put the music on that you love, where the clothes you want to and spend the time with the people who mean the most to you.

Final take-away:

"Emotional Intelligence will get you further in life than anything else."

If you enjoyed the interview with Tim then please do start a conversation with him on;

Twitter

LinkedIn 

You can also find more details on their website

If you liked this episode then please do leave the show a rating and review on iTunes


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On this episode I interview Di Murray, entrepreneur and the energy behind Coming up 4 air and creating space to breathe.

On work-life balance Di says;

"It's quite an over-used term. I've become sensitised to the term work-life balance; the holy grail of what we're trying to achieve. I wonder if it's less about having a perfect balance and more about what happens when we don't have choice in either of those arenas.

Di works with individuals and organisations to (in her words) hold the space for people to explore, ponder and be more curious. Noticing and doing some deep listening was ultimately the essence of how Coming Up 4 Air came about.

Allowing others the space to breathe, in a place free of agenda Di sees herself more as a guide and a facilitator. As opposed to being the expert who has all the answers.

People attending Di's retreats and workshops can expect an element of dis-comfort and intrigue which in turn builds trust through autonomy. Di sees her approach as a bit of an anti-dote to the craziness of the world.

Purpose

One of the things about purpose is it shifts. People would describe me as a passionate disrupter.

I set out to disrupt people's thinking based on what they know when they arrive on a workshop or retreat. I invite people to take risks in the space that I create.

Final take-away:

"Lighten up, laugh at yourself.

Straighten up, stand tall when you come into a room.

Speak up,use your voice for good."

If you enjoyed the interview with Di then please do start a conversation with her on;

Twitter

LinkedIn

Facebook

You can also find more details on their website

If you liked this episode then please do leave the show a rating and review on iTunes or the platform that you use to listen to podcasts.


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On this episode I interview Dave Algeo who talks amongst other things about being stressed out and the damage of the 'shut the f*ck up type of attitude' when it comes to mental health.

On work-life balance Dave says;

"I like the perfect imbalance idea. I remember when work-life balance became a thing. I get it but the world of life is far more complex."

Dave spent a number of years working in the police force before setting up his own business in 2006 in the world of learning and development. His focus tends to be in the space of resilience and mental health and helping those feeling stressed out.

Host of Man Sprouts the podcast, Dave can often be seen and heard talking about vegetables! For those that remember Crackerjack, the losing contestants would often be saddled with cabbages!

Having gone through his own stress and fallen into arrears with his mortgage at Northern Rock; he's some how been able to use his own experience to positive effect.

He loves to learn and loves to turn this into learning and teaching for others; making a difference in the long term not just in the moment.

If you enjoyed the interview with Dave then please do start a conversation with him on;

Twitter


Instagram


LinkedIn


Facebook


YouTube


You can also find more details on their website


If you liked this episode then please do leave the show a rating and review on iTunes or the platform that you use to listen to podcasts. 


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Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/perfectimbalance4/message