You Are Not A Frog

There are times working in medicine or other high-stress jobs, when you feel trapped and unhappy. And maybe you’ve told yourself you have no other option but to stay put. These “shoulds” can come from societal expectations or the idea that you’ve put so much into your job already that it would be silly – or even irresponsible – to quit now. ⭐️ Work Well Webinars These myths and pressures keep us...

We’re all seeking the perfect job or career path that will bring us happiness and fulfilment. But while we’re focused on achieving success, we can overlook the bigger stuff – and it’s possible that our current career trajectory might not take us there. That’s why we need to find and then follow our North Star. Finding it starts with prioritising four fundamental needs: feeling fully human, deep co...

We all experience moments of feeling stuck. Sometimes we have the motivation, but something’s in our way. On other days the simplest things can feel like pushing a boulder up a hill. Now matter how competent we know we are, that feeling of inertia can wreak havoc on our self-confidence. If we’re going to get unstuck and move forwards, we first need to find out what’s blocking us. The solution is t...

If you were in a life-or-death scenario and the only path out was over hot coals, would you take it? Of course. But when it comes to situations that are making us uncomfortable or even miserable, we seldom want to experience that discomfort to get to what we know will be better for us. In this quick dip episode, Rachel explores the importance of considering the long-term impact of our work, and of...

If you’re in a job where you use your brain a lot, it can be easy to feel disconnected from your body and emotions. This in turn can lead to a lack of self-awareness and even difficulty in expressing yourself. That lack of awareness changes how we outwardly express ourselves, even in ways we’re not aware of. But by becoming consciously connected with our body, we can get a bit more control over ou...

We all experience shame from time to time, but when it becomes toxic, we can end up in a shame spiral from which it's difficult to escape. When we’re called out on something about which we feel shameful, it can make us defensive. And so often, no-one can punish us as harshly as we punish ourselves. In this quick dip episode, Rachel shares her strategy to break free from shame spirals and cultivate...

When we’re presented with a difficult problem, naturally we use logic and reasoning to solve it. But some problems – like stress and burnout – can’t be solved with logic alone. The left hemisphere is the area of the brain focused on tasks, logic, and problem-solving. But the right hemisphere deals with relationships, connections, and new perspectives. It’s also visual and metaphorical, so it can h...

So you’ve got a problem, maybe a relationship issue at work or difficulties managing your workload. You’ve talked it with friends, but the solution won’t present itself. Often the problem isn't that we lack solutions, but rather that we haven't fully understood what the problem is in the first place. In this quick dip episode, Rachel shares her three-step model to help you identify and address the...

Faced with a difficult situation, we often ask the question “should I stay or should I go?” It could be about work, a relationship, or something more personal. We all face this question at various times in our life, and it can be overwhelming to make a choice when we’re scared of the unknown. This week, we’re revisiting  a discussion with Corrina Gordon-Barnes , about how to tackle the decisi...

If you have a high-stakes job like medicine, shame can show up in unexpected and unwelcome places. Doctors have incredibly high societal expectations, with constant pressure to be invulnerable. It’s time to challenge these unrealistic expectations and foster an environment that supports doctors in their vulnerability. This week, we’re featuring one of our most popular and impactful episodes from 2...

The Christmas season can be a time of stress and disappointment, especially when our expectations don't match up with reality. We can find ourselves dealing with difficult family members, feeling overwhelmed with work and family obligations, or experiencing a general sense of dissatisfaction. But there’s plenty we can do to make the festive period more enjoyable and less overwhelming. This week, w...

If you're like most people, you'll have experienced moments when your confidence wavers, leaving you unsure of yourself and holding back from reaching your full potential. But what if there was a way to increase your confidence and make a greater impact in your personal and professional life? This week, Dr Claire Kaye joins Rachel to explore the power of confidence and how it influences our lives....

We can learn how to say no to other people, but often don’t say no to ourselves or to our inner critic who’s always telling us we can do more or be better. We become our own worst enemy when it comes to setting boundaries and prioritising our own needs. This is why we need self-compassion, and to overcome the toxic self-talk that often fuels our negative self-talk. In this quick dip, Rachel will h...

Do you find yourself trapped by the expectations and pressures of what you think you “should” be doing? Is there a voice in your head, berating you for not living up to their standards? If so, you might be experiencing the tyranny of the shoulds. You’re not alone in feeling overwhelmed or uncertain. But it turns out that hearing others' stories can help you realise that your struggles are common....

If your job is demanding, jou've probably wondered at some point if you're burning out. The constant stress and pressure in health and social care especially can leave us feeling overwhelmed and exhausted. But ignoring the signs of burnout can have serious consequences, affecting not only our performance but our wellbeing and our relationships too. In this quick dip episode, Rachel introduces the...

Managing your energy can be a challenge at the best of times. But if you’re a highly sensitive person, you might be more prone to burning out due to your unique traits and the demands of your work. Being highly sensitive doesn’t mean being touchy, but having a high degree of empathy and a particular way of processing sensory input. That means it might take longer to recover from a tricky situation...

Saying no and setting boundaries are core to avoiding burnout. But if saying no might put a patient at harm – or worse – what can you do? In this quick dip episode, Rachel explains the concept of core and flex boundaries along with core and flex consequences. Core boundaries are non-negotiables that we always enforce, rather than preferences we’d like to enforce but can be flexible around. Key to...

Interactions between team members can have a big impact on performance and outcomes. Disrespect and hostility can create a threatening environment and hinder collaboration and productivity. In a medical setting, it could literally be a life-or-death situation. The Civility Saves Lives movement aims to raise awareness about the importance of behaviour and promote a culture of civility. By showing r...

When someone else sets boundaries, do you feel able to do the same, or do you resent their ability to say no? Often, our anger towards others' boundaries comes from our own unmet needs and desires, and what presents itself as resentment is actually envy. Guilt, shame, and fear often prevent us from expressing our own needs, which just compounds those negative emotions. Without shifting our mindset...

Productivity and time management are difficult at the best of times. But when your job directly affects people’s lives, it can be tricky to make time to get organised, so that we have control over our days, and our inbox isn’t overflowing. What we need is to manage our attention and make space for what matters. In this episode, Rachel is joined by productivity expert Graham Allcott. Graham shares...

We’ve all had weeks where our schedules are packed tightly and there’s no time for ourselves, leaving us exhausted and overwhelmed. The problem is we often make commitments for our future selves without thinking about what might be on their plate in the future. In this quick dip episode, Rachel uncovers ways we can make space for the the big and important things in our lives, set rules and boundar...

Do you give yourself permission to rest? If you’re like many people in caring professions, you worry that taking time out to look after yourself means not spending that time helping others. That thinking may have got you to your position now, but is it serving you, or is it time to update your operating system? The problem with rest is that we often confuse it with inaction. But rest from work doe...

We all get stressed or overwhelmed with our daily responsibilities from time to time. But we’re not always good at telling them apart. And this is important, because the way out of overwhelm is different form the way out of stress. Stress is caused when the demands on us outweigh the resources we feel we have to cope. Overwhelm happens when high amounts of stress make us feel like we can't cope wi...

Confronting anxiety is easier said than done. It’s hard enough with adults, but with children it’s even more tough. Anxiety keeps us safe, but often we over-predict that something bad will happen and under-predict our ability to cope. The key is to learn how to manage anxiety before it becomes a problem. This week’s guest is educational psychologist Nicky Odgers. She specialises in working with ki...

Do you find yourself thinking "it will be better tomorrow", or believing things will improve in a few months' time “when x happens”? In this quick dip episode, Rachel reveals how waiting for outside events to occur leads to more problems – because even when tomorrow comes, we’re still the same person facing the same challenges as we were yesterday. This mindset can lead us to looking for partial s...