Excel against the Odds

In this weeks episode of the Excel against the Odds podcast, I delve in to why it is important to build your business around your chronic illness. We look at: Why your business should be chronic-illness friendly Considering business model and strategy Using technology and outside support Prioritising your wellbeing Redefining success Ensuring that you build an adaptable business And much more To d...

In this episode of the Excel against the Odds Podcast, I had the pleasure of speaking to Erin Buck about her experience of running a business with Chronic Pain. Erin, owner of Bizzybee a virtual and social media assistant service. She specialises in helping freelancers, small businesses, and entrepreneurs streamline their social media and business tasks, ultimately giving them more time and less s...

In this week's episode of the Excel against the Odds Podcast, I have a special guest, Shabnam Rakhiba, who has joined me to talk about pacing. When you have a chronic illness, pacing can help you to find the balance that can enable you to achieve what you want to without making your illness worse. But what is pacing? And how can you fit it into your everyday life? Well, Shabnam explains all. S...

This Small Business Saturday, I invited my wonderful guests to record their thoughts on what running a business chronic illness means to them. With special guests: Karen Townsend Misty Ceramics https://www.mistyceramics.co.uk/ https://www.facebook.com/mistyceramics Deborah Bircham Live Well With Chronic Illness https://livewellwithchronicillness.co.uk/ Anita Barzey Motivate me tutors and Anita the...

In this episode I chat with Louise van Vessem about her experiences of running a business with a chronic illlness. Louisa is a business strategist and mentor from the North West of England.  Think of her as your trusty wingwoman and the second brain you never knew you needed.  Why?  Because she's passionate about untangling your mind, connecting the dots and guiding you from where you are righ...

Bee Higgins is a creative copywriter, content writer and messaging mentor for heart-led small business owners ready to express their unique magic with words. From 1:1 mentoring sessions, done-for-you offerings and her group membership, Bloom With Bee, there are a myriad of ways to work with Bee to attract kindred clients and nip copy and content overwhelm in the bud.  When she's not at her des...

In this episode of the Excel against the Odds podcast, I am delighted to be joined by Jenn Barnett, a culture change and EDI specialist and psychologist and UK Lead for ESG and EDI for the fifth largest professional services firm; Grant Thornton UK LLP. In this fascinating discussion, we discuss; - How chronic illness can affect your confidence in the workplace and how mentoring can help - Applyin...

In this episode of the Excel against the Odds podcast, I am delighted to be joined by Amy Walters. Amy is the multi-award-winning Founder and Lead Designer of Bloom Creative, a design business based in Kent who support business owners with a range of services that enhance their brand, including bespoke branding & brand refreshes, eye-catching print design, and quality digital content. When she...

In this episode of the Excel against the Odds podcast, I'm looking at the importance of choosing the right strategy for your business. Chronic illness can mean that we have limited energy to run our business and so we need to ensure that our business strategy give us a good return on our energy investment. In this episode, I look at why we need to find the right strategy, the different strateg...

In this episode of the Excel against the Odds podcast, I examine how listening to your body and responding to its needs can be beneficial for your health and your work. Our bodies are great at letting us know when something isn't quite right, whether it's pain, stress or tiredness we're feeling, it is communicating its needs. Learning how to listen and how to respond can really help us...

In this episode of the Excel against the Odds podcast, I am delighted to be joined by Jessica Lorimer a B2B Sales Expert who has ME/ Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. I loved chatting to Jess and we covered some fascinating topics including what Corporate Organisations can do to better support employees with chronic illnesses along with some great tips on running a business with a chronic illness. Jess Lo...

In this episode of the Excel against the Odds Podcast, I had the pleasure of interviewing Georgina Merckel. Georgina  is the owner of TOPA, a Business Consultancy and Services Provider. She  supports businesses by running, streamlining or assisting with their operations, HR, events functions and working on digital products to  increase their income. She provides coaching and trainin...

In this episode of the Excel against the Odds podcast, I had the pleasure of interviewing Audrey Zannese. Audrey Zannese is the founder of Step Into Sophrology .  Sophrology was recommended to her by a French neurologist when she  started the treatment for MS. It had such a positive impact on her life  that she trained as a sophrologist and now helps women living with a  chroni...

In this episode of the Excel against the Odds podcast, I had the pleasure of interviewing Andrea Hanson. Andrea  W. Hanson is a motivational speaker and the author of two books about  having a positive mindset while living with a diagnosis; "Live Your  Life, Not Your Diagnosis" and "Stop Carrying The Weight of Your MS''.  She's also a master certified life & mindset coach w...

When you have a chronic illness, it is easy to worry about the impact of growing your business and how it will affect your health. Yet in this episode, I explain why it can be beneficial to grow your business and how it can help your wellbeing. I also talk about how to grow your business in a chronic illness friendly way. Working with your health, rather than against it. Using processes and system...

In this episode of the Excel against the Odds podcast, I enjoyed speaking to Alexis Bushnell. Alexis is a social media guide and founder of Social Media for Humans , a movement changing the way social media works from the inside. She busts myths and provides an honest, jargon-free explanation of algorithms and strategy to help business owners and individuals use social media effectively, ethically...

In this episode of the Excel against the Odds podcast, I was delighted to be joined by Helen Dickman, an English tutor and a business coach at the Love Mondays Club.    After being diagnosed with a rare degenerative condition (MED) at the  age of 4, she has faced a number of challenges with her health, but this  hasn’t held her back.    In her own words: "My goals in...

In today's episode, I was delighted to interview Pollie Rafferty. Pollie is an experienced storyteller and has been telling tales since 2005,  She first started telling stories as a therapy to help her step out of  crippling anxiety and move into a more positive personal story.  She has since been exploring the power of stories and how they can  impact our lives and business. S...

In this episode of the Excel against the Odds Podcast, I had the pleasure of interviewing Jill D. Griffin a career strategist and Gallup® certified Strengths Coach. She's spent 20+ building strategy and strengths-based cultures while creating repeated and consistent results. Jill has worked with Coca-Cola, Microsoft, Samsung, Mondelez, and Honda. Just as her career started to take off, Jill was in...

In this episode of the Excel against the Odds Podcast, I had the pleasure of interviewing Natasha Lipman, a journalist, podcaster and chronic illness blogger. In this fascinating conversation, Natasha talks about how she works with a chronic illness, the move from working for the BBC to working as a freelance journalist and the techniques she uses to manage her energy and her work. I hope you enjo...

In this episode, which was recorded in two parts, Rebecca talks about the importance of accessibility in business and how she is helping businesses to become more accessible. Rebecca is blind and has chronic illnesses and in this episode, she discusses how this affects her work and the changes that she has made to ensure that she can run a business while looking after her health. Rebecca has been...

In this episode, I look at what you need to consider when investing in your business. The different ways in which you can invest and the positive impact that it can have on your business. I also talk about what to look out for and the importance of developing an investment strategy. I discuss investing in training, outsourcing, a mentor and memberships. I hope you enjoy!  If you would like mo...

In this episode. Dr Rebecca Williams Dinsdale talks about her journey with ME. She was diagnosed with severe ME when she was 17 years old and dicusses her determination to finish her studies and the work that she now does. She speaks about her life as a coach and an author, how she has learnt to adapt to living with her condition and who inspires her. To find out more information about Rebecca: We...

The start of the new year often involves making New Year’s Resolutions and the chance to dream big about what we might achieve in the forthcoming year. We might have important goals in our business, decide to work on our fitness or even achieve some long-held ambitions in our personal life. However, without a plan, a goal is just a dream, a desire. It isn’t enough to just set a goal or ambition, y...

In this episode, Sarah Berthon, the host of the Excel against the Odds podcast, talks about living with ME, PoTS Syndrome, Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and Chronic Migraine. Sarah talks about how her health conditions have affected her work and how they have inspired her to set up a business helping other people with chronic illnesses in the work place. The interviewer for this podcast is David Pope. I...