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In this final episode of this mini series we recap on the important learning to take away and I have to admit to a little rant about why it is taking so long for us to take ACTION. This issue was first identified in research back in 1995 - over 30 years ago and still people are talking about "better awareness" rather than "improved action". We also need to stop being satisfied by telling folks to "Reach out" if they need help, and every single one of us, regardless of our role or responsibility, purely acting as a decent human being, needs to learn how to Reach In - because none of us knows when someone may need us to be able to do so. I always say that 30 seconds of discomfort in a conversation can help you avoid years of regret and feelings of guilt ... Thank you for joining me on this series to explore domestic abuse related suicide in more depth and if you would like to learn more, there is a free Masterclass on 15th September 2026 that you are welcome to attend - or get in touch via confidentconversations.co.uk

TW - please make sure that you are ready to listen to the tragic story of a young girl who took her own life. This story is not about sensationalisting or shocking, this story, about Hayley, is to make sure we never forget that behind the often quoted statistics, sits a person whose life has been lost. A family dealing with that sadness and grief and a system that has gaps in it. More victims of domestic abuse died by suicide than homicide in the last 3 years here in the UK. Those are the numbers that we know about and that are recorded. There may well be many, many more. These deaths are preventable and in this episode Hayley's Mum, Ruth, bravely tells the story of how she lost her daughter to suicide following a series of events and despite reaching out and asking for help, Hayley was failed. If today is not the right day to listen to this episode, that's fine - and in fact if this episode might cause you upset or concern, perhaps skip it and move on. Take a moment and decide what's right for you.

You have no doubt seen the well-meaning encouragement around Mental Health and Suicidal Risk where we tell people all they have to do is Reach Out. No doubt this Autumn #ReachOut will appear on socials but I am here to tell you why this is completely the wrong emphasis, why this is simply not enough and what we need to be doing instead. If you are already overwhelmed and feeling hopeless, worthless and like a burden to others, reaching out may not be within your capability for all sorts of reasons AND what if you did reach out but still did not get the help you needed, as we sadly see so many times. Our new programme REACH IN is designed deliberately to help us as a society to do better when suicidal risk is present and to not be afraid of starting conversations that can change and even save lives. We will talk more about this, in a Domestic Abuse context specifically, on our free Masterclass on 15th September - hope you can join me?

In this episode we talk about why a community approach to this issue is needed. People may be disclosing fragments of information to many different people, services and agencies - so this is not just a "domestic abuse practitioner" issue - far from it. The Dual Risk Framework covers 3 levels - from the GP Receptionise who might recognise an issue, to the Police Officer who has been called out to an incident, as well as the GP or IDVA or Social Worker who has an ongoing relationship and can help this person to keep themselves safe. If you would like to find out more about us and the Dual Risk Framework, please visit https://confidentconversations.co.uk to find out more and to sign up for the free webinar that is taking place to mark World Suicide Prevention Day in September.

What does suicide risk actually look like? The answer may not be what you expect. In this episode, Andrea Newton challenges many of the assumptions we hold about suicidal distress, exploring why people can appear to be coping while quietly carrying an overwhelming burden. She discusses functional freeze, the subtle signs that can easily be overlooked, and how domestic abuse and coercive control can hide in plain sight. Through a practical suicide prevention lens, this episode will help you recognise what might sit beneath the surface and why noticing small changes, asking one more question and staying curious could make all the difference. This is part of a mini series - Dual Risk - and you can find out more about the Dual Risk Framework and the services we offer by visiting our website https://confidentconversations.co.uk - drop us a note to find out more and please do let us have any feedback once you have listened to this episode.

We know that were coercive controlling behaviour is present, the risk of suicide is higher and in this episode we explore a little more about why that might be. Understanding coercive control through a suicide prevention lens is important, as when we think about domestic abuse, it's easy to focus on individual incidents. But coercive control is different. It's a sustained pattern of intimidation, isolation and control that can slowly erode a person's confidence, identity and hope. In this episode, we explore coercive control through a suicide prevention lens, explaining how experiences such as entrapment, hopelessness, shame and identity loss can contribute to suicidal distress. Rather than asking, "What's wrong with this person?", we invite listeners to ask a more important question: "What has happened to them?" Whether you work in domestic abuse, healthcare, policing, mental health, safeguarding or simply want to better understand the hidden impact of coercive control, this episode will help you recognise why context matters, why people don't always disclose what's happening, and why seeing the whole story can make all the difference. You can find out more about us and the work we do AND the free webinar we are offering, by going to https://confidentconversations.co.uk

In this first episode of this mini series, where we are focussing on the links between suicide risk and domestic abuse, and more importantly how to reduce those risks, we talk about the issue as it stands. We are going to consider how human lives are messy and how as people, we don't fit neatly into boxes, and how a person experience domestic abuse or coercive controlling behaviour may develop poor mental health and even suicidal ideation. How that person is now facing a system where mental health, suicide risk and domestic abuse sit on three different pathways with professionals behind 3 different doors, even in 3 different directorates or ministerial portfolios. Because of the structure and systems of the world in which we live, there are then gaps between those services and a person presenting at their GP with low mood, anxiety, inability to sleep may not disclose the abuse that is causing it - nor indeed the intrusive thoughts that they have started to have. They may chat to a teacher at their child's school about "it being a bit rough at home at the moment" but not disclose the impact it is having on them, physically, mentally, psychologically - and perhaps even find themselves talking to a 24 hour national crisis line about thoughts of ending their life ... but whilst each of those experts is behind a different door and there is no bridge connecting them, people will fall through the gaps. We know this is an issue right now and in fact the latest statistics show that more victims of domestic abuse are dying by suspected suicide than at the hands of their abuser, so the risk is not just the abuse and the abuser - the risk is also to themselves. Dual Risk recognises those gaps and helps professional join the dots so that we can reduce the risk of people dying by suicide as a result of domestic abuse, coercive control, intimate partner violence - this matters and we need to stop "raising awareness" and start taking action. We hope you enjoy this mini series and find it informative, engaging and a worthwhile learning opportunity. Please get in touch via our website https://confidentconversations.co.uk to ask questions, share your thoughts and find out more about the Dual Risk Training Framework that we offer.

I am not about to tell you how to become a domestic goddess, create more To Do lists or sell the benefit of multi-tasking or cooking in advance .. This episode is especially for busy working midlife women who are Googling "Am I burned out or is it just December?" and wondering why their stress is through the roof when they can normally just swing through the season and jingle all the way! How do I protect my sanity? What will help my stress levels? How do I survive the festive season now that my hormones are all over the place? When research tells us that 72% of households rely on women to "make Christmas happen" is it any wonder that we feel overwhelmed - and then throw in the joys of menopause and the challenge of carenting, along with every other thing that comes along - it is a LOT! In this episode we will talk about the challenges of perfection, people pleasing, the weight of carrying guilt and offer you a Framework to help you not just survive but even THRIVE this Christmas. Let's learn more about the 4R's and how Boundaries can prevent Burnout so that we can enjoy Bloody Christmas! Have a good one - see you next year x www.actuallyshecan.co.uk

Stress is costing UK businesses an estimated £28 billion every year, yet too many organisations still treat wellbeing as a tick-box exercise. In this episode of Really Useful Conversations, we give a nod to "International Stress Awareness Week" where the theme for 20235 is "Optimising Employee Wellbeing through Strategic Stress Management" - and we take a look at why strategic stress management is a leadership and performance issue, not a fluffy wellbeing tick-box exercise. We talk about how early, honest conversations can reduce burnout, improve morale, and build psychologically safe teams and why avoiding these "difficult" discussions costs far more than having them. I'm also shining a light on midlife women in the workplace, who often face a "double burden" of hormonal shifts, caregiving, and workplace pressure, contributing an estimated £1.5–2.9 billion to the UK's annual stress-related losses, in keeping with my work through "Actually She Can!" where we actively support women to find more energy, momentum and joy in their Second Act. Whether you are a manager, leader, HR professional or indeed a busy working midlife women, this episode helps us to consider what really useful conversations look like in practice, how to spot early warning signs of stress, and how culture shifts begin with simple, human connection. For more details about my work with corporate clients, please take a look at the website confidentconversations.co.uk and drop me a note if your managers could use some help with their own Really Useful Conversations in the workplace.

The final episode for the mini series, supporting Menopause Awareness Month ... So what happens next? In this no-nonsense episode, we recap the Six Lifestyle Levers that help midlife women support mental health during the menopuase chapter, and as Awareness Month closes, let's hope that the subject is not put back in the drawer until this time next year! Let's hope that the UK Government's new menopause health-check plans receive the support, funding and education that is needed because let's face it, women's health deserves serious investment and not just lip service. With International Stress Awareness Week on the horizon, we will start to take a look at how stress, hormones and midlife mayhem can create that perfect storm and I'll tell you a little about the free live Masterclass on 18 November to help you feel more in control, rested and resilient. Really Useful Conversations matter and I am a woman on a mission to keep those conversations going, in midlife and beyond, so do follow and subscribe and stick with me on this journey? Full details of the FREE November Masterclass are on the www.actuallyshecan.co.uk website - hope you'll take advantage of the offer and do feel free to share with friends who you know will benefit from overcoming that "Wired and Tired All The Time" feeling.

The conversations we have with ourselves are often the most important, so telling yourself that "I should be coping better," and internally beating yourself up, whilst quietly carrying the mental load of work, ageing parents, teenagers, menopause symptoms, and a house that never seems to stay tidy is just not fair. But so often women don't ask for help. We don't want to be a burden. We tell ourselves other people have it worse. And we push on, exhausted, feeling as though we should be able to just crack on. In this mini episode we're talking about the sixth lifestyle lever - Support - and why trying to do everything alone during menopause is one of the biggest risks to your mental health. As human beings we were never meant to be solo flyers, and we learned about the importance of Connection in episode 5 of this mini series - so in this final episode let's take a look at what that support might look like. We need to consider:- How hormonal changes affect mood, resilience and your ability to cope Why asking for help isn't weakness — it's a biological need The types of support that genuinely help midlife women: emotional, practical, social and professional This is not fluffy "you've got this" nonsense. It's about building support that actually lightens the load and helps us better navigate choppy waters. Whether that's a conversation with someone who gets it, advocating confidently at a GP appointment, working with a therapist, being part of a menopause group, or simply letting others at home know how you are feeling and how they might help. Let's not forget, strong women burn out too and if you are struggling with the juggle, alongside challenging perimenopause symptoms, this episode will help. If you have not done so already there are 6 other mini episodes that I have recorded for Menopause Awareness Month so do make time to listen to them all and give yourself the right tools to make small shifts for big impact. Take good care! A

When we talk about 'environment', most people think about cluttered kitchens, noisy offices or never-ending WhatsApp notifications, and yes, they can make a difference - but in midlife and menopause, your internal environment matters just as much. Thinking about your gut health, blood sugar, hormones, sleep patterns, and the way you speak to yourself when nobody else is listening - all of these will affect the experience you have during this chapter of messy midlife. In this mini episode we explore both sides - the external world you move through and the internal world you carry inside and how each one affects menopause symptoms, mental health and your ability to cope. We need to think about how we can stop our nervous system being on high alert. Consider how low blood sugar, gut health and more can trigger and worsen symptoms. Think about realistic small changes that as women in the real world are do-able. This isn't about buying matching storage baskets and having a declutter - although crack on if that works for you - it's more about creating an environment - both inside and out - that supports your hormones, your head and your heart. The 6 Lifestyle Levers are a great place to start when thinking about how best you can support yourself at this time - whether HRT is on your "To Do" list or not - we can all choose small shifts that make a big impact. Let me know about your experience and if you want to dive deeper and create a plan that is right for you, drop me a note and I can send you the workshop link.

Feeling disconnected, lonely, or like nobody really gets what you're going through? You're not imagining it - midlife and menopause can quietly shrink your world. Between work pressures, family demands, and hormonal changes that impact confidence and mood, it's easy to drift into isolation. It might be that you are busy, just struggling with the juggle of midlife, especially if the "sandwich generation" perfectly describes your world but in this episode of our mini series for Menopause Awareness Month, we explore why connection is one of the most powerful mood-boosters and protectors of mental health during menopause. In the first episode we talked about how declining oestrogen affects neurotransmitters which will have a knock-on effect on how you are feeling, whether your mood, your motivation or even your self-esteem, and how it can be easy to withdraw and feel like you are going through this weird phase on your own - but here we will talk about the fact that your brain literally needs other people for balance, and how small, real-life interactions can rebuild your sense of belonging and joy. Human connection is as important for our wellbeing as food, fresh air and hydration but this isn't about joining a club you don't have time for or pretending everything's fine, it is not about adding further to the fatigue and stress by filling every remaining gap in your day with social events - it is about understanding the science of social connection, oxytocin, and nervous-system regulation, and finding ways to reconnect that actually fit your real life, and that add quality rather than quantity when time is already pressing. If you've been feeling flat, anxious, or invisible, this episode will help - please remember that you were never meant to do this alone and there are lots of ways we can connect and have that sense of community, even without leaving home! Check out the https://actuallyshecan.co.uk website for details of my programmes and online coaching groups - having us in your corner can really help.

Sleep and Menopause – One of the most frequently raised concerns (This is Episode 3 and is part of the 6 Lifestyle Levers: Small Shifts, Big Impact mini-series) If you are tired but cannot switch off, wide awake at 3am, or constantly running on adrenaline, this episode is for you. In this episode we look briefly at how menopause affects sleep, stress, and your nervous system - often one of the most frequently asked questions in my coaching sessions - and take a quick look at what you can do to feel calmer, clearer, and properly rested again. You will learn: We know that changing hormone levels disrupt sleep and increase anxiety in midlife We have talked before about the impact of cortisol, melatonin, and progesterone in your "wired but tired" feeling We get that poor sleep impacts appetite, mood, and weight through ghrelin and leptin Let's think about practical steps to regulate your nervous system and create an evening routine that works This 10-minute episode is packed with simple, evidence-based ideas to help midlife women improve sleep quality, reduce stress, and restore balance without overhauling everything. It's part of a 6 part mini series, so do listen out for the other episodes and if you want to do more about this and make your own experience more positive, join me in the 6 Lifestyle Levers online workshop. There we will be helping everyone create a plan for action that is personal to them. Menopause & Mental Health - 6 Lifestyle Levers Workshop on 22 October at 7pm (UK time). Enjoy this episode, and here's to a great night's sleep!

If you have been feeling low, sluggish, or struggling with sleep during menopause, this episode will help you understand why movement really is medicine for the mind. In Episode 2 of my mini-series, 6 Lifestyle Levers: Small Shifts, Big Impact, we look at how physical activity supports mental health, hormone balance, and emotional resilience in midlife, and how it can help you also sleep better. You will learn: How exercise increases serotonin, dopamine, and noradrenaline to lift mood and motivation Why movement helps regulate cortisol and reduce anxiety and overwhelm How simple daily activity can improve sleep, energy, and cognitive function Practical ideas to make movement easier, including stretching, walking, and strength training for hormone health This 10-minute episode is full of evidence-based insight explained in simple, real-life terms. It's aimed at busy working women who are not athletes or fitness fanatics and for whom this time of life is stressful with lots going on. No gym guilt or strict routines, just small realistic shifts that even the most busy woman can introduce that will start to make a big difference. If you want to turn this knowledge into a clear personalised action plan, join me for the Menopause & Mental Health Workshop online Tuesday 22 October at 7 pm. It is a small-group, practical session with me, a qualified, accredited menopause coach, where you will discover which of the six lifestyle levers matter most for you and how to apply them confidently in daily life. No lycra or marathon running needed - honestly, I just want to help you get started in a way that fits with your world and your lifestyle. Progress not perfection! When you are ready to take it to another level, there are people I can signpost you to - but for now, let's just get you started. Grab your spot at the masterclass online at https://actuallyshecan.co.uk/6Levers

If you've been feeling flat, foggy, or wired but tired, it might not just be stress or perimenopause. It could be what, and how, you are feeding your brain during this chapter. In this first episode of my new mini-series, 6 Lifestyle Levers: Small Shifts, Big Impact, we focus on Nourish: how nutrition shapes mood, energy, and emotional balance during menopause. You'll learn: Why falling oestrogen changes the way your body absorbs and uses key nutrients How to fuel the feel-good neurotransmitters (serotonin, dopamine, GABA) that support mood and sleep Simple food swaps that calm inflammation and boost brain health, including olive oil, walnuts, and tinned fish It's a brisky and thought-provoking 10-minute episode designed to help you think about the 6 Lifestyle Levers that can make a change for us all, and talks about evidence-based nutrition insights for midlife women, explained in plain English with practical, real-life advice. No jargon, no kale smoothies, no guilt. Whether you are choosing HRT to help your menopause journey or not, these Lifestyle Levers are useful for us all to consider, especially in protecting our mental health and wellbeing during this time - and if we can work with our body and brain to support this transition, and not unwittingly be doing things that perhaps make matters worse, surely that can only be a good thing? If you want to turn this knowledge into a clear, personal plan of action that fits your life, join me for the Menopause & Mental Health Workshop - 6 Lifestyle Levers online on Tuesday 22 October at 7 pm. Sign up at https://actuallyshecan.co.uk/6Levers

October hosts both World Mental Health Day and Menopause Awareness Day and is indeed Menopause Awareness Month. The theme this year is Lifestyle Medicine and so I am focussing in this podcast episode on the impact that menopause can have on our mental health, and sharing a basic understanding of what is going on that is causing the low mood, anxiety, brain fog and other cognitive and mental health challenges that some women experience during perimenopause. During the hormonal transition, our brain is doing it's best to function without the steady hormonal chemistry that it is used to working with, the fluctuation of hormones during this chapter seems to be the issue - the rise and fall that changes day by day - and not forgetting that those hormones do not work in isolation but impact on other hormones and the work that they do too. I've tried to explain what is happening in a straightforward way, as a midlife woman who has experienced this transition, and as someone who has done lots of research and learning, but not as a medical professional might. I think we need to understand what is happening and why that is the case, but we don't need a science heavy biology lesson that confuses us further, so I've tried to keep it simple and easy to understand. Over the next few weeks I am going to be looking at the 6 Lifestyle Levers that we can all tweak and learn more for ourselves how that lifestyle medicine can help, whether you are taking HRT or not. I'm also offering a free online Masterclass that you are welcome to register for too - details can be found on the website https://actuallyshecan.co.uk Hope this helps!

In the last episode, recorded for World Suicide Prevention Day, I spoke specifically about the risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviours for midlife women, given the statistics show that the most female deaths by suicide tend to occur in midlife. I promised that I would follow up to talk about how when navigating perimenopause we might be at more risk and more importantly, what we might do to keep ourselves safe. As a qualified suicide intervention tutor I am aware of evidence based research which shows protective factors that can help - basically the things we can do for ourselves, and others, to help keep them safe from the Edge of Enough. Life happens and events can cause us to wobble, we probably cannot do a lot about that, but there are things that we CAN do to help us stay safe, and I am talking about them in this episode. Navigating this chapter of menopause with low mood, anxiety and depression can be challenging, and whilst many people talk about the physical symptoms that might affect us, fewer are aware of the potential impact to our mental health during the hormonal shift. I hope you find this episode useful and maybe you will join my free Masterclass in October where I focus on lifestyle medicine for improving mental health during menopause - it's so important that we talk about these issues so that women know how to help themselves if things are getting a bit much. Take good care!

This week is World Suicide Prevention Day and hopefully there will be lots of media coverage in encouraging a "Change in the Narrative" - to make conversations about this issue more commonplace. This in turn helps to reduce the stigma and smash the silence and makes it easier for people to ask for help. You may have seen media coverage in recent times talking about the high number of male suicide deaths and men's mental health in general, which is definitely something that needs attention, but we have not seen anywhere near the same attention given to midlife women and the challenges that they might be silently struggling with during midlife; the chapter of peri menopause, becoming the sandwich generation, caring for ageing parents and other elders, whilst still keeping an eye on adult children and even grandchildren. Once you stop and look at the research you will see some shocking statistics - indeed the majority of deaths by suicide are male, but what about the significant number of suicide attempts made by women all over the world? Do attempts not matter so much? Should we not be paying as much attention to PREVENTION for everyone seeing as suicide does not discriminate? In this episode I am exploring the intersectionality of factors for midlife women that might explain the statistics behind sucide thoughts and attempts in midlife. I hope you will find it thought provoking and informative and that through conversations like this learn that we can ALL make a difference - for a person in crisis as well as for ourselves as women.

*This episode talks about suicide and I hope will be useful to women, their friends, family, support network AND their employer* The coronor confirmed that the lady had indeed taken her own life, following perimenopause then menopause causing her mental health condition to have worsened - and tragically this situation is more common than you might think. Often people think of menopause symptoms as just the hot flushes or night sweats when actually more women find the cognitive impact far more debilitating and as many as 1 in 10 women will have suicidal thoughts during this transition. Sadly women often feel isolated, alone, misunderstood, misdiagnosed and even mistreated - this can worsen their situation and significantly impact an already troubled mind - we MUST get this message out there - you are not alone, you are not being dramatic, you are NOT making it up and you are NOT alone. Donna Mann took her own life and this tragic loss should be prompting us all to get better informed, better educated, more aware and able to have conversations that matter - those conversations could be the difference between life and death. Please do share this episode with friends, colleagues, HR professionals so that women like Donna get the help they need, before it is too late. For more details visit my website Confident Conversations - You Are Not Alone and again please do share the link with anyone else who might need it.

Yesterday I received the devastating news of the loss of an incredible woman - strong, confident, bold, kind, wise, caring and funny as heck! I thought she was invincible and when she got her cancer diagnosis I would have bet my house on her surviving. Yesterday made me realise that tomorrow is not guaranteed. I know we say it all the time that life is too short but sometimes when you lose someone who really was so amazing, you realise that there is a sad truth in that. Today's episode is not polished or scripted or offering downloads for learning - it's from the heart and a reminder that we need to stop putting things off, quit losing time in perfectionism, being paralysed by not good enough, waiting for the perfect moment and we just need to make space. I'm not being flippant, I have two ageing parents and my carenting responsibilities are heavy and very real, but I need to stop and look for even the tiniest glimmer of space for me to top up my cup too. This episode is a tribute the the force that was an incredible influence in my life and she listened to my podcast too so I hope she hears this, wherever she has landed now. For all midlife women who are doing a LOT and struggling with the juggle, and in memory of Anne-Marie, here's your reminder xxx

If you have ever had the experience where your mind just will not switch off - perhaps going to bed and you struggle to sleep, maybe you sit down for a rest and your inner voice reminds you of all the things you SHOULD be doing, when relaxation is almost impossible as you just cannot disconnect ... this episode is for you. You are doing all the things that those self-care folks tell you to do - bedtime routine, switching off digital devices, drinking cups of herbal tea but still your mind is racing, over-thinking, so damn busy all of the time and even when you make time to specifically rest and relax, it just doesn't help. As midlife women we are always juggling a lot, in a world that encourages us to keep on keeping on, and a sense of failing if we cannot cope with it all. The cost of that is our stress switch gets stuck and we cannot rest and relax, however much we try - in fact trying harder to rest and relax frustrates us and adds further to our challenge. So how do we fix it? This season we are focussing on Really Useful Conversations for Midlife Women and I hope you are finding it useful? In this episode I refer to a free handout suggesting techniques you can try - it's available to download at https://actuallyshecan.co.uk/ans Let me know what you think?

The last few weeks has been hectic - lots of caring responsibilities for ageing parents, work stuff and life in general - so a chance to sneak off and have a few hours in the company of people who are absolute radiators was defintely an attractive proposition and definitely the kick up the bum I needed to talk about focussing forwards!

Values - those things that we all have, often no idea where they came from, but tend to reflect the things that matter most to us. Are you living in alignment with yours? We all have a little internal book of rules - rules that we have been creating for ourselves since we were first born and my little book will be different to yours. Those rules then guide our lives, our decisions and the people that we choose to be around - these are our values - and although they might change over time, they always matter. If we are operating in a way that is not aligned with these values, we can feel frustrated, angry, annoyed or even sense a little internal tension, perhaps causing anxiety, and for true wellbeing we are best working in places, living with people, spending time doing things where our values are indeed aligned. Like a little internal GPS system that helps point the way and reroute when the path feels wrong for us. Often as midlife women we are so busy with juggling all the stuff that we might not hear our values whispering - perhaps we are doing a job because the hours "fit around the family" or we are putting other people's preferences first - "anything for a quiet life" - or we might even find ourselves in relationships that are just not right for us, but we feel unable to walk away? This week's episode is all about values and why they matter and what can happen to us if we are not listeing to them when they call out to us. Let me know if this episode resonates with you and don't forget to share with anyone else who you think might value from this little reminder?

Having recently been nominated in the Merseyside Women of the Year awards I suddenly found my little inner critic throwing a party - as I read through the bio's of the other women who are also finalists, I could hear that little voice getting louder - "Who are you to be included in that? Look at what she has done! Oh she is amazing! Achieved so much more than you!" and before I knew it, the joy had dissolved into doubt and shame ... who am I indeed? I don't think it is unusual for midlife women to dip into comparing themselves unfavourably and many on the Midlife Reboot programme often talk, with envy, about their social group, colleagues and family who have "done so much better than me" ... so I thought an episode where we have a Really Useful Conversation about the comparison trap would be a good idea! Other people's brilliance does not dim ours, and there is space for us all to shine - but how do I convince that little inner critic to STFU and allow me to enjoy the joy that such a prestigious nomination had brought? In this episode we will talk about the comparison trap, why we fall into it, and more importantly how to get ourselves back out again - comparison cannot be allowed to continuously steal our joy ladies! Oh, and you can vote for me every day until 1st June if you would like to? I'd LOVE your support! VOTE HERE FOR ANDREA Many thanks x

This week in the UK is Mental Health Awareness Week and the theme this year is "Community" and in this episode I am talking specifically about the importance of community for those of us who are midlife women. A chapter in our lives when hormones are shifting, which can indeed negatively impact our mental health, but often also a very busy chapter with lots of juggling of priorities, perhaps older children or grandchildren needing us, or as my world caring for ageing parents has become a new challenge, so it is no surprise that the number of women diagnosed with anxiety, depression and low mood increases during this life stage - and sadly the number of deaths by suicide too. However, I don't think it is ALL about our hormones, and in this episode we talk about what else is shifting and changing and potentially causing us to feel less than great - and how community, amongst other factors, can really help. If you enjoy this episode, please do feel free to share with others who might also benefit, and if you are a midlife woman looking for a Midlife Reboot - ready to ditch the quick fix surface deep solutions and choose to invest your limited time and energy in RADICAL self-care, why not pop your name on the wait list for the next opening? Either way up, hope you enjoy this episode, which is very much dedicated to my Tribe who kept me upright and mobile through the divorce that kept on giving! A x

Back in February I hosted "Actually, she can!" - which was a fantastic day of personal growth and professional development, by women, for women, fundraising for future female talent in Halton Borough and it was an absolutely amazing day! With over 200 women in the audience and 12 professional speakers, authors and coaches taking to the stage and hosting workshops, sharing insights and expertise that had the audience scribbling notes furiously and nodding as they recognised their own traits, laughing as we talked about the humourous side of habits and cheering as we announced the incredible amount we raised that day for young girls locally. But I feel there was a missing thread. Whilst encouraging women to set goals with soul, to overcome imposter syndrome, to smash their own ceiling, release their inner rebel through good girl deconditioning, we also needed to let them know to take care of their wellbeing too. Not from a candles and sandals perspective, but deep down radical self-care, the stuff that leads to meaningful change. Tune into this episode to find out more about those Missing Threads and learn about the Midlife Reboot on offer!

Our final guest speaker interview is with the wonderful Rachel Foord and at the Actually, she can! event on 27th February, Rachel will be hosting a workshop entitled "Thriving Beyond Barriers; what empowers and challenges neurodivergent women" - and it is sure to be a very popular session. Whether you are attending Actually! as a neurodivergent woman yourself, or as a mother, sister, manager or HR leader, Rachel will be sharing so much value and insights from her own lived as well as learned experiences. Listen in to this week's episode and get to hear from Rachel about this important topic and why you might choose to join her workshop from the ones on offer in February, she really does have such a lot to offer for both professional and personal lives. Tickets are still available from actuallyshecan.co.uk - but hurry, we are closing soon!

Before Christmas I really enjoyed chatting to another one of our guest speakers, Valerie J Ritchie, who is hosting a workshop for us at Actually, she can! in February to help people harness their inner strengths and turn challenges into opportunities. Valerie is a midlife empowerment coach, an advocate for the crone goddess, and helps women to step into the wise, powerful, authentic self so that they can live life to the full. In our conversation she talks about us embracing who we are, playing to our natural strengths, and encourages us to be authentic - You do You - and to not take our strengths for granted and just brush them off but to utilise them to their fullest and make the most of them. Valerie's workshop at Actually! next month will be highly interactive, helping us to explore practical strategies to overcome both personal and professional challenges with resilience and confidence and create an actionable plan that we can take away to use in our day to day lives. Maybe you are questionning your own worth, maybe you are not sure where your strengths lie, or perhaps you are ready to step out of your comfort zone - Valerie's session will be perfect for you! If you have not already got your ticket for Actually! it's time to get your act together or you are really going to regret it! We have 13 fabulous professional speakers, authors and coaches coming together to offer a real personal development day for women, by women, and it's going to be a cracker! More details about all our speakers and tickets are available at www.actuallyshecan.co.uk so take a moment to enjoy my conversation here with Valerie and then go grab your ticket QUICK!

Meeting up with someone that you instantly have a connection with and knowing they share your values in wanting to make a positive difference is not something that happens every day and so when Michelle Atkinson, HRD from Suttons International and I chatted about Actually, she can! and the difference we want to make in our local community, I could see she was as enthused and keen to make that difference too! We are very grateful indeed to Suttons for agreeing to be our main event sponsor for Actually, she can! and even MORE impressed by their attitude and desire for positive change, when they asked us to introduce them to people in Halton Borough where they really can make a difference. Since that meeting they have supported local children who otherwise would have woken up to no presents on Christmas Day and are engaging with Halton People into Jobs to see how as an employer in the Borough, they can offer work experience, apprenticeships, mentoring and even career opportunities to young people. We could not be happier to have found a large corporate business to partner with, working locally as part of a huge global network, and in this episode you will get to hear what is was about the project that captured Michelle's attention and why it fits so beautifully with the culture and ethos of this business that prides itself on supporting employee growth, driving engagement and creating opportunties for career progression. Thank you to everyone at Suttons for supporting us and for wanting to make a difference too - we really appreciate you!

Ex corporate girl Susie Sprigg believes that connection, communication and conversation are critical to all of us, and that we can build relationships with cheerleaders and people who will check in on us too, all through the power of networking. Networking is not just for people who run a business looking to sell their services to others, but also for people who work within an organisation who might need to build their network for career progression and promotion prospects. Building a strong network, especially as a woman, is so important and Susie is going to share with us the do's and do not's of networking in the workshop she is running at Actually, she can! on 27th February in Runcorn. Debunking the myths of networking and making sure we create the impression we want to is what her workshop is all about and if you listen in to this episode you will get a sense of Susie's down to earth, honest and authentic approach, allowing you to decide whether you will choose her workhshop from the range that are being offered as part of our amazing event. If you have not got your ticket yet, please hurry as we have sold more than 65% and I would hate you to miss out! For more details about all of our speakers and what to expect please take a look at our simple website actuallyshecan.co.uk - the link to then buy tickets is available from there too.

A favourite guest on the podcast Michelle Minnikin joins me again this week but to talk this time about her contribution at Actually, she can! There is no way we could have organised a day of personal growth and professional development for women, by women without including the powerhouse that is Ms Minnikin! A professional speaker, author of the fabulous "Good Girl Deprogramming" and workshop facilitator, Michelle helps women to break free from the constraints of the conditioning that girls grow up with and encourages them to unleash the rebel within, and I am delighted that she agreed to travel to Runcorn for our event on 27th February where she will address the conference AND run a workshop for those who want a deeper understanding of the work we good girls need to now do in order to live an authentic, rebelloious life! Have a listen to our conversation and then make sure you have booked your ticket to be in the room with us in February - it is going to be an amazing day with Michelle offering her expertise along with another 12 speakers sharing insights and inspiration. Tickets are availble while they last from actuallyshecan.co.uk and you need to RUN don't walk and grab yours NOW!

Kerry Lockyer joins me this week to talk about her contribution to Actually, she can! on 27th February in Runcorn and it is a really useful conversation well worth listening to! I managed to catch up with her before Christmas when she was busy running around the country facilitating sessions to help leaders build awesome teams. Her expertise lies in helping people understand themselves AND each other at a much deeper level using a range of behavioural tools, with over 25 years experience in Learning & Development, she is an accomplished trainer, consultant and coach as well as an amazing TEDx Speaker. People development is the stuff that lights her fire and at Actually, she can! she will be offering everyone an incredible opportunity for greater self-awareness AND a chance to complete one of the behavioural tools that she uses in her consultancy practice. Thanks to the generous folk at Clarity 4D, everyone who attends will have chance to complete a personal profile, completely free of charge, and Kerry will be delivering two sessions that will bring that learning to life both on the main stage and in a smaller, more intimate workshop setting. This value alone more than covers the cost of the ticket to attend so we do hope you will support our charity fundraising efforts by coming along to hear more from Kerry, to do your own Clarity 4D profile, and to generally invest in your own personal effectiveness to kickstart 2025. Tickets are available from actuallyshecan.co.uk for general admission as well as the Pay it Forward tickets we are offering to make the event as inclusive as possible. Please invite everyone you know to get involved! Great event for a great cause!

Another excellent reason to attend Actually, she can! next February 27th is to hear Jane Kenyon's session as she helps us to understand why it is time to ditch the cape and badge and forget the notion of Superwoman! Jane will help us see how the male energy driven Superwoman model sabotages our right to an imperfect life, and how until we drop the cape and rip off the Little Miss Perfect badge we cannot be whole, authentic or lead from our feminine core. Jane will help us see how controlling everything does not give us power BUT will give us a blinding headache! Are you ready to learn more about a system reset?! Ex Well-Healed Diva Jane has worked with women and teenage girls for the last three decades and you might be familiar with her organisation "Girls Out Loud" which is a multi-award winning social enterprise dedicated to raising the aspirations of teenage girls in the UK. Their programmes are all about embedding more confidence, emotional resilience, self-assurance and self-esteem - so you can see why their work aligns beautifully with our ambitions for Actually, she can! Listen in to this episode and learn more about Jane, her beliefs and her approach, and you'll immediately recognise why you need to grab a ticket for our event and not only invest in your own personal growth and professional development BUT ALSO how your involvement will help us to offer bursary opportunities to young girls in Halton Borough as part of the Mayor's Fundraiser. It is a real win win opportunity - a chance to invest in yourself and at the same time allow young girls to get a stronger foothold on the career ladder - what's not to love? Tickets are on sale NOW and you can book online via actuallyshecan.co.uk

I am joined on this episode by the most wonderful person that is Helen Frewin of Totem Consulting. Helen is one of the most generous people I have had the good fortune to meet in the business world and am delighted that she is going to be sharing her expertise freely by delivering a session with us at Actually she can! on 27th February. Helen is a Business Psychologist, Executive Coach, Professional Speaker and Author of the book "Better than confidence" and with the team at Totem Consulting works with organisations to help them have their people performing at their best, positively engaged with their work and delivering high standards, through coaching, training and facilitating at all levels. Helen's session at our fundraising event will be a very popular one, I am sure, and if you have not yet got your ticket, tune in and hear why you need to RUN DON'T WALK and get your ticket today! Helen's session at Actually! is entitled "Why everyone wins with more women in leadership and how we can get there. Get powered up with a reminder of the business case for having women at the top, and a challenge and guide for all genders to make this possible." Definitely going to be a popular one and this session alone is probably worth the ticket price for the whole day! We have 13 professional speakers, authors and coaches giving their time and talent for free so that we can create bursary opportunities for young girls in Halton Borough and YOU could be a part of that! Whether you want to attend the event in person OR sponsor a place for a women who could not otherwise afford to be there, hurry along to the actuallyshecan.co.uk website now.

If you are curious to hear about "Actually, she can!" and to know exactly what is on the agenda that day, then this brief, basic and straightforward episode is for you! No music, no guests, nothing more than a simple description of the topics being covered and the value on offer - it'll take about 8 minutes but will give you a taste of what the whole event is all about and help you decide how many tickets you need to buy! Tickets are selling well and can be purchased online or if you need an invoice then just drop me a note and I can organise that for you. Whatever you do, do NOT miss out on this opportunity! It's a total one-off, never to be repeated event offering more value than you can imagine! Promise!

What can we learn from a woman who took a wrong turn and had a bloke pull a gun on her, but eventually sorted and paid for a taxi to take her back to her hotel? Well, she might be a black belt in 4 Martial Arts, but she only ever went because her mate did, and she still cannot catch a bullet in her teeth - even though both her sons are stuntmen in the movies! This can only be the wonderful (and hilarious!) Heather Wright, talking to me about the session she will be running for us at "Actually, she can!" next February in Cheshire. Heather is a seasoned expert in neuropsychology and will help us delve into the science behind self-discovery to unblock our true potential. She promises and enlightening and inspiring speech where we can learn strategies to overcome the barriers to confidence and authenticity and build the "us" that we really want to be. At "Actually, she can!" Heather will be bringing the day to a close with valuable insights that blend science with personal empowerment and set us up to use the learning to break habits that no longer serve us and help us develop new habits that will help us to be the version of ourselves that we want to be. It promises to be a powerful conclusion to an amazing day, and if you haven't got your ticket yet, you really need to get a wiggle on before they sell out! ActuallySheCan.co.uk is a great place to check out the whole line up and follow the link to get your tickets but please, run don't walk! Time is ticking!

Actually, she can! is all about encouraging and inspiring women to do, be and achieve whatever their heart so desires, but is it realistic to expect happiness every day in that life? This week's guest Jo Howarth says that indeed it is possible to make that choice, and in our conversation she explains more about what she means by that. Jo is another of the amazing speakers, authors and coaches that is giving her time and expertise free of charge on 27th February to help raise funds for young women in Halton who might need a hand overcoming financial challenges into higher education or vocational apprenticeships, and I hope that when you listen to this episode that gives you another really good reason to be rushing off to buy your ticket! Did you know, if you cannot attend the event to support us, you can still PAY IT FORWARD by sponsoring a ticket for a woman who otherwise could not afford to be there? The day really is a win win win win win at every level! By women, for women, fundraising for future female talent and Jo Howarth and her "Choosing Happiness Every Day" session might be just the inspiration you need to achieve fabulous things, and authentic happiness, going forward. Please do share the episode and help us spread the word and pop along to actuallyshecan.co.uk to grab your ticket before they sell out. But for now, sit back and enjoy our conversation! Thanks Jo!

Kate Trafford is a Master Coach, author and TEDx speaker and am delighted to say is our opening speaker at Actually, she can! next February. With over 20 years of experience helping people drive for big results AND love the journey, Kate will be encouraging us to take a moment to pause and consider the road ahead, asking us some powerful questions and helping us think about our own authentic happiness and success. Her highly acclaimed book "Get there, love here" can help you become the person you want to be, with the career you want to have, whilst staying true to yourself and Kate will bring that magic to the Actually, she can! line up next year. If you haven't yet got your ticket, hurry up and grab it before we sell out - Kate's session and workshop could be just the opportunity you need to set your sights on your future and make 2025 the year you start to enjoy rather than endure the journey! Tickets and details of all our speakers can be found at https://actuallyshecan.co.uk - run!

This week I am chatting to another one of the "Actually, she can!" line up - the wonderful Soulful Stylist Kate Harrison who will be running a workshop on the 27th February "Styling for confidence - inside and out". Kate started her career in the fashion industry, later moving into image consultancy and co-founded the first UK High Street Advice Studio, welcomging thousands of women over the years for personal styling and corporate events, and realised just how much the colours we wear and surround ourselves with affects our energy, and indeed also our confidence. Kate has a wealth of experience in this arena and chats to me in this podcast episode about her background and the value that she is brining to the Actually, she can! agenda. Honestly, you will be spoilt for choice in the workshops that we have on offer - personally I want to attend them ALL! Actually, she can! takes place next February 27th in Runcorn, Cheshire and offers an inspirational day of personal growth and professional development by women, for women, fundraising for future female talent and we have already sold over half of the tickets with 3 months still to go - don't miss out! Tickets are available from the actuallyshecan.co.uk website or if you are an organisation wanting your own table, drop me a note and I can arrange that for you! But for now, sit back, listen and enjoy as Kate and I chat about the fantastic opportunity she is offering to those who are attending - it's a fabulous listen!

Barbara Nixon is one of the 13 professional speakers, authors and coaches who are giving their time and talent and expertise to help me raise funds for young women in Halton Borough, and in this episode we chat about the insights and opportunity for growth and development that Barbara will be bringing to the day. This woman is an absolute gem and has so much value to offer an audience, honestly, just her contribution to the line up is worth the ticket price alone! If imposter syndrome is something that catches you out on occasions, or you have a terrible habit of getting in your own way with over-thinking or self-doubt, then Barbara is defintely someone you should come and here from. She will be speaking from stage in the morning and in the afternoon running a more intimate, participative workshop too - 27th February 2025 at The Heath Conference Centre in Runcorn with ALL proceeds from the day being ring fenced to help young female talent in Halton Borough to get a foot on the career ladder and pursue their aspirations. Hope you enjoy our chat and to find out more visit the ActuallySheCan.co.uk website.

And in this episode we will talk a little more about the Actually, she can! project - where the idea came from, who it will help and why it matters. It's a unique opportunity for women, by women, supporting future female talent and you really do not want to miss out if you can help it. If you are a supporter of equality of opportunity, promote and champion equity at work and are keen to see women given the opportunities for development and growth as professionals in the workplace, then this project really is for you! Please do share and help me get the word out there and together we can make incredible things happen!

Having had a break away for a few months, I want to update you on what I have been up to and where we are going with this next season of the podcast. If championing equality is your thing, and you are keen to support female talent in the workplace, then please tune in and I'll share a little more with you about a fantastic opportunity that is coming up for women, by women - which in turn is a fundraiser for future female talent in a deprived UK Borough.

This is my final guest interview wrapping up Season 3, and I'd encourage you to listen in as I chat with Tim Roberts, a Leadership Coach who takes a no BS approach! Author of 'Break the Mould' about which Tim says 'it's worth reading if you want to be a better leader or role model in the workplace' and in our conversation we explore the often quoted 'authentic leadership' phrase - and dig into what it takes to be both true to yourself AND be an effective leader to others. We hope you'll enjoy listening to our 'Really Useful Conversation' and if you want to know more about Tim, you'll find his website www.enthusecoaching.com a great place to start! Thanks for tuning in and please do share with colleagues who might also benefit.

Barbara Nixon is THE Success and Leadership Coach for ambitious Business Leaders. With a strong background in the commercial world, where she designed hundreds of senior leadership development programmes and was responsible for the Management Development for all 3000 Managers. She worked for all areas of the business which has given her the broad commercial knowledge that helps her to help her clients today. Whether a newly promoted manager trying to find their feet, an established manager with a sudden realisation of imposter syndrome, or a business owner who is keen to get out of the weeds, side step self doubt & elevate, Barbara is the person to talk to! As a Business Leader it's easy to think you should always feel in control, be super confident, and have all the answers - but this often is not the case and with 27 years experience, Barbara really is a secret weapon to have in your toolkit! She is also one of the incredible speakers at the Actually, she can! conference, a unique opportunity for women in business to embrace a day of personal development and inspiration, so watch this space for more info! But for now, settle in to hear what Barbara has to say that might help you be the confident leader you really want to be - and find out more about her at https://barbaranixon.co.uk

If you are a manager or leader, self-awareness and the impact that you have is critical to success. So if I asked you the question "Does the room light up when you enter or when you leave?" - what would YOU say and more importantly, what would your PEOPLE say? As a manager or leader your style and behaviour is the single biggest influence on the performance of your team and can affect levels of motivation, engagement, performance, attendance even staff retention (or not!) So much of what YOU do and how YOU behave will impact that – positively or negatively. This brisk and pacy episode is an opportunity for that all important mirror-moment amongst the busy-ness of business to give you chance to consider "Am I doing all the right things?" and consider whether your intentions are delivering the impact and outcome you desire, or whether there are things that you might choose to do differently. I hope you will find it useful as a reflection and to increase self-awareness, it might even inspire a conversation with your team where you ask them for some feedback too!"

ACAS received over 200,000 enquiries about workplace bullying incidents in just one year. Many people worry about what to do, how to handle it, what their rights are and how to deal with it if the issue is from a manager or someone in authority. I know from my 30+ years of experience in industry that this is an issue organisations want to deal with quickly - no employer would want anyone in their organisation to be having a negative experience of this nature, but sometimes the line between banter and bullying gets very thin, and sometimes what started "as a joke" can turn into unwanted behaviour or comments. Workplace bullying is an example of a psychosocial hazard that we all need to be aware of and working to eliminate, and this episode is intended to offer sound advice to anyone who feels they are being bullied, as well as a reminder to employers of their duty of care not just for physical health and safety but also for protection of mental, emotional and psychological health and safety in the workplace. This episode follows on from my recent interview with Katie Skelton and I hope you will find it helpful.

What would you do if someone shouted you down in a meeting in front of colleagues? And then followed you out of the meeting room and leaned into your face? And what if a bunch of senior managers witnessed it and allowed it as "it us just who he is"? Sadly people often get away with bad behaviour, behaviour that is bullying and not acceptable, because they have technical expertise or knowledge that the business needs, so their bad behaviour is ignored or accepted. In today's podcast I get to speak to Katie Skelton from https://littlegreenduck.co.uk about her experience of workplace bullying and explore how psychosocial safety is critical in organisations who want to get the best out of people. ACAS report that in one year they had over 200,000 calls to their helplines about workplace bullying and together Katie and I chat about this sensitive subject and the issues it can cause. I will also be releasing a follow up episode to this to help employers who are committed to tackling bullying in the workplace, and with advice for employees who might be experiencing it. Bullying doesn't just happen top down, but also bottom up, and we will be exploring examples of that too. I hope you will find this episode helpful in bringing this subject to the table where we can explore it and importantly take steps to tackle it in your own organisation, if it is indeed lurking somewhere within.

If you are looking for ways in which to make sure your business has long-term sustainable success and you recognise the importance of a diverse and inclusive workplace that allows your people to flourish and thrive, then you will want to tune into this week's podcast. My conversation with Toby Mildon, Diversity and Inclusion Architect, and author of "Inclusive Growth" is all about how he helps his clients to strategically align diversity and inclusion to organisational growth, change the culture and motivate senior leaders to 'walk the talk' for inclusivity, He helps clients to design and implement a sustainable inclusivity infrastructure so that it is not just a HR responsibility, and in our conversation we explore why this matters and the first steps to get you moving in the right direction. You can find out more about Toby and the work that he does around this important topic at https://mildon.co.uk and his book "Inclusive Growth" is available from all good book sellers! I hope you will enjoy our conversation and that you will also consider joining me on 22nd May to "Mind the Gap – the difference between Intention and Impact" – full details at https://confidentconversations.co.uk Hope to see you there!

Are you looking for a way to increase self-awareness, develop your leaders, improve your sales or simply develop a high performing team? I may have the answer for you! In this week's Really Useful Conversations podcast I get to chat with the wonderful award winning, professional speaker, Learning and Development professional, and all round good egg that is Kerry Lockyer. Kerry is a Licensed Insights Practitioner and accredited Clarity4D Business Partner and uses these powerful behavioural profiling tools to transform personal development and team effectiveness. With a strong background in the corporate world, she founded Oomph Learning and Development Ltd in 2019, https://oomphlearning.co.uk/ - and their mission is to provide engaging and innovative learning solutions that truly add value and deliver real results.....and she's here today to talk to us specifically about how we might recognise others preferences and adapt our style in order to get the best out of any situation – a fantastic mirror moment opportunity for us all! Don't forget the Reflect & Reset opportunity too on 22nd May at 1pm where managers and leaders can take time out from the busy-ness of business and consider their intention versus the impact they are actually having! Full details on https://confidentconversations.co.uk