You Are Not A Frog

Drs Sarah Coope, George Wright, Samanta White, and Andrew Tressider join us in this episode to discuss how you can adjust your perspective about complaints and how to deal with them. We also tackle unfair or malicious complaints and how you can cope with them.  Episode Highlights [07:07] How to Respond When Someone Wishes to Make a Complaint Thank patients for the feedback. Some patients may...

Dr James Costello joins us in this episode to talk about gaslighting, relational abuse and the insidious ways that organisations and individuals can undermine us. Highlights [07:36] Dr James’s Background James worked as a workplace counsellor in an occupational health unit of a large hospital in Bristol.  He became a trade union caseworker, trying to advocate for change in organisations.&nbsp...

Dr Edward Pooley joins us again to teach us how to communicate well. He discusses the three strands of communication and explains how to be aware of them. We also share frameworks to help you navigate difficult conversations. Highlights [05:58] Three Strands of Communication It’s not only what you say, but also the emotion and identity.  Try not to start talks when you’re irritated or frustra...

Prof Susan Fairley and Dr Jane Sturgess join us in this episode to discuss how to create a workplace where you can handle difficult conversations and not shy away from failure. Episode Highlights [07:07] The Workplace and the Individual There should be a system at work that allows other people to challenge someone who is not doing the right thing. [10:08] Improving the System on an Organisational...

Joining us in this episode is Dr. Chris Hewitt who also uses the metaphor of a man-frog in coaching professionals to have a better work-life balance. Chris talks about why we find it so hard to recognize burnout. He also shares his top tips and practical strategies to address work dissatisfaction. Here are three reasons why you should listen to the full episode: Discover different solutions for wh...

Drs Jessica Harland, Heidi Mounsey and Caroline Walker join us in this episode to discuss how to survive the process of receiving and going through a complaint. Episode Highlights [11:12] Why Don’t We Talk About Complaints? So much of a health professional’s self-esteem is based on their career. [13:47] How People Feel When They Make a Mistake at Work Doctors often feel guilt, shame, anger and fru...

Steve Andrews joins us to share the five important questions that will help you check in with your colleagues, rather than check up on them. Through these five questions, leaders can find out how their people really are, help them to solve their own problems and communicate empathy and support.  [05:00] Rebuilding the NHS after the COVID Crisis Steve likens the recent COVID crisis to circumst...

Do you live in fear that you’ll make a mistake at work? When it does happen, do you find it hard to cope and move forwards? Doctors and other professionals are also human — making mistakes is normal. Knowing this, however, doesn’t take away the stress that comes with going through a complaint or investigation. Since we know that we’re bound to make a mistake at work, what matters is how we respond...

This week, Dr Katya Miles returns to talk to us about spotting burnout and giving yourself permission to thrive. Episode Highlights [05:53] Overcoming Perfectionism We need to embrace learning through making mistakes. We often beat ourselves up even if nobody else knows the right thing to do. [11:37] Factors That Lead to Burnout Many professionals in high-stress jobs think that stress is normal ev...

A complaint or investigation is one of the most stressful things you can experience as a healthcare professional, and this is true no matter what sort of job you do. However, we can’t live and work in fear of complaints and we should certainly not beat ourselves up when we make a mistake (and we will do). There are better ways to handle these situations. Drs Sarah Coope, Annalene Weston, and Sheil...

Dr Andrew Tresidder joins us to talk about denial, displacement and other ways medical practitioners and other professionals in high stress jobs neglect themselves. Episode Highlights [04:46] Burnout Among Health Practitioners Medical and health professionals don't understand health as a holistic concept. The health industry workload gets heavier every year. [07:23] Neglect Syndrome 'Fine' means b...

Dr. Hussain Gandhi, or Dr. Gandalf of eGPlearning, joins us in this episode. He is a GP, PCN director, and host of the eGP Learning Podblast that shares deep dives into health tech for primary care. He shares his tech and time hacks for hybrid working to survive and thrive in the new virtual environment. If you want to find out how to improve your hybrid working experience, then tune in to this ep...

In this episode, Annie Hanekom chats with Rachel about how we need to step out of the drama triangle to have a better and healthier relationship with our colleagues. Episode Highlights [04:28] Enneagram Type 2 or The Rescuer In its simplest form, an Enneagram is a profiling tool. [06:09] The Rescuer in Its Truest Form Type 2s or The Rescuers are motivated by the need to feel accepted, loved and in...

Dr Ed Pooley joins us to share his take on time management techniques for busy individuals. Episode Highlights [05:38] The Importance of Maturity and Exploration in Medicine Entering medicine later in life can give you more experience under your belt. Ed also thinks it’s important to explore different processes outside of medicine. He examines what processes work and applies these in his practice...

We're having a short break over Easter but I wanted to share one of our earlier episodes with you again. This was recorded and released long before the COVID pandemic but I think it's never been more relevant than now.  In this episode (originally released on 12th November 2019), Rachel is joined by Agnes Otzelberger, a trainer, research and activist with a special interest in what happens wh...

Do you feel lonely and isolated at work? Do you feel as if you have no one with whom to share your issues? Are you looking for your tribe—your community of like-minded individuals? We sometimes separate our professional lives from our personal lives and are totally different people at home. It can be challenging to share your concerns with colleagues but there’s value in sharing vulnerability. Bui...

Have you ever wondered why you feel so exhausted even if you’ve just been at home all day?  If your someone who works from home a lot more than ever before, feeling tired is completely understandable. Before the pandemic, ‘work’ and ‘home’ didn’t often go together. But now, working well from home is expected of us. However, it’s difficult to fulfill that expectation without wearing ourselves...

This week, Dr Claire Kaye joins us to discuss how we can find the career we love. We share tips and talk about networking, diversifying and overcoming career challenges.  Episode Highlights [04:16] Claire's Career Journey on How to Find a Career You Love As a GP trainee, Claire knew that she didn't want to be doing clinics nine times a week. Claire went on to other areas of education. Listen...

This week, Scott Chambers joins us to talk about psychological safety in teams. Episode Highlights [11:29] What Does Low Psychological Safety Look Like? Difficulty collaborating is because of low psychological safety. People in low safety environments can exhibit unresponsiveness. We always want to be heard, but we don’t always listen. [14:52] How to Improve Team Dynamics We need to create a space...

Do you feel like you’re constantly chasing your tail in everything you do? Have you ever felt like you’d be more productive and successful if you just had more time? With so much on our plates, it seems like the only option is to sacrifice quality time with our loved ones and for ourselves. But if you’re stressed and overwhelmed, fret not! There are ways to find the time, feel calmer, and present...

This week, Richard Jamieson joins us to discuss how using breathing techniques can help you de-stress and keep calm. Episode Highlights [05:14] The Accessibility Of Breathwork Practising meditation and mindfulness helps cope with stress.  They’re accessible to everyone.   [08:09] What Does Breathing Do To The Body? When we take control of our breath, we can decrease our stress and agitat...

Dr Sarah Goulding joins me to discuss how you can bring your best self to work without leaving bits of you behind. Episode Highlights [05:54] Sarah’s Story Sarah is a careers coach, a GP, an appraiser and a trainer. She had always wanted to have a portfolio, but she slowly started to burn out as she gathered roles over time.  When Sarah resigned from her partnership, she rediscovered her pass...

Dr Amrita Sen Mukherjee discusses how we need to get back to basics to make sure we're supporting ourselves and others in these uncertain times. Episode Highlights [05:01] What We Have To Be Positive About In 2021 The vaccination program rollout is something to be excited about. Amrita is also hopeful about Joe Biden’s presidency.  She concentrates by minimizing peripheral noise. [07:30]...

Dr Amit Sharma joins to discuss the effects of taking on too many of other people’s burdens and how you can prevent them from weighing you down. Episode Highlights [05:28] What Is A Naughty Monkey? Naughty monkeys are burdens that clients carry. These burdens sometimes stay and weigh down on professionals like doctors and lawyers. [08:58] What Happens If You Don’t Give The Naughty Monkeys Back? We...

This week, Dr Jess Harvey joins me to share her experience with burnout. We also discuss how you can take care of yourself and top tips for burnt out professionals. Episode Highlights [04:02] Jess’s Story Jess gets injured or something goes wrong with her body when she’s stressed. By the end of her medical school, she developed an eating disorder. Because of her condition, Jess couldn’t run anymor...