Our nurses around the world are on the front line in a workplace we have, perhaps, taken for granted for too long. We applaud them, sometimes in the streets, recently openly around the globe. Yet, have we trained them to be able to self-care to the level that is needed to be able to sustain the level of work that is now called for to keep them healthy and well in times of long hours and high stress at work? Listen to two nurses, Shushila and Bianca, who have walked this path, burnt out and then re-trained themselves to be able to share a different way of supporting themselves to support others. Joining them are two mental health care workers Gabrielle Caplice and Annette Baker who are the support service for a number of front-line nurses and speak from what many of the nurses they support have shared with them, and have offered to be shared with many more, so we can support each other more truly. 

This interview is a game-changer for me. Kate shares her experience of treatments around cancer, of the rollercoaster of healing and hope for a cure, of surgery, of chemo and of making decisions that are right for her.

I have no doubt this episode will be one that supports people with cancer, but also, those who are carers. We cannot know what it is like to walk that path but we can listen and understand so we can be better companions.

This interview may bring up conversations or thoughts you have not wanted to address. Please ensure you get good support for yourself. Numbers for support services are in the resource section of this blog.

Jodie Matthews is an author, a blogger and now a parent, here Jodie shares with us her intimate experience with the birth of her son Hamish Joseph Matthews who was stillborn on the 10th September 2017.

This is a tender interview that offers us an opportunity to understand what a mother and father might go through and perhaps ease the awkwardness that we bring to them when we feel so inadequately prepared to ask them how they are.

All links for Jodie and her work can be found below.

Imagine a charity that has built an online ticketing platform and that gives their fees to other charities and you have met the founders of the startup Humanitix.
Started by two bold socially conscious men who did not subscribe to the usual model of believing that you have to stay doing something you don't enjoy in order to pay the bills they went about building the company in a very practical way and had a solid strategic plan that has seen them win a major investment from Google who have just made them one of the 4 organisations to receive $1 million towards their project through their Global Impact Challenge! That is one solid stamp of confidence for Humanitix, their board and the team of investors who have supported them to date. Join me as I learn how Joshua Ross, Adam McCurdie and James Humpherson brought it all together. 

How much do we underestimate the heart? Is it just part of our function or can it and does it offer so much more that can support us as we live our lives? Phil Shirvington has worked with a dynamic group of teachers to bring the heart, stillness and questioning into practice through Wisdom, Life Faith Studies and shares some foundational understanding as well as top tips for practice.

How much does shame influence the decisions we make and the behaviours we have taken as our normal? Jean Gamble talks us through shame and regret and teases out the different types of shame - toxic, functional and vicarious shame. What if there is a way to re-frame our thinking? Get snug as a bug in a rug and perhaps a pen and paper - you may want to take notes!

The show today is an up close and personal with study – the stress, the anxiety, the need – and perhaps most importantly, the why. A fundamental question has to be why are we studying and who are we studying for? If we have a family or are studying and working full or part time there are challenges inherent in juggling those commitments and responsibilities. There is a level of support we need to bring to ourselves in order to offer the space and perspective to work effectively without overriding the communication from our bodies and making ourselves sick. There is nothing intelligent about choosing dysfunctional behaviours! Join Lucy as she shares some of the things she learnt the hard way!

Teresa Dyson stands on a diverse mix of boards and shares with us the skills honed from school that have stood her in good stead throughout her working life. What is it like being a Board Member in diverse industries? Is there a challenge with gender diversity and is there a big difference between for profit and not-for-profit boards? These are just a few of the questions covered in this interview, as Teresa walks us through her life and decision making process inspiring others to hone the personal and professional skills to contribute in life. Her top tips:

• Be prepared
• Don't a passenger
  
• Be prepared to get involved

Do we consider that we can all write? Good speakers rarely consider those skills can be transferred to the page, and therefore there is an element of mastery that is needed that goes way beyond the need to be the best. My guests in the studio are Lydia Hamilton and Mandy Newman, the wonders behind Literary Giants a project with a mission to improve the quality and standard of writing around the world. This show will be relevant for teachers, parents and students themselves. How willing are we to be the change we want to see in our expression and equipping our next generation to be critical thinkers?