August 13, 2023 • 18 mins
Martina opens up about the immense value of harnessing resilience as a shield against stress, anxiety, and depression, a lesson painstakingly learned in navigating her own life's volatility.
As a renowned cognitive behavior therapist, speaker, author, trainer, and health and wellbeing consultant, Martina's insights have been instrumental in promoting mental health and resilience. We navigate the tumultuous journey of her life marked by personal loss, and discover how she managed to build resilience amidst adversity.
Martina brings her practical tips on mastering challenges and preparing to excel in public speaking. We take a deep look at the importance of maintaining connections in these times. Don't miss this enlightening exploration of professional and personal development.
Find out more about We Are PoWEr here. 💫
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 2 (00:19):
The Northern Power Women Podcast for your career
and your life, no matter whatbusiness you're in.
Hello and welcome to theNorthern Power Women Podcast.
My name is Simone and this isthe path to power season.
It's the season where, everyweek, I've been talking to
amazing women, amazing changemakers, trailblazers, amazing
(00:39):
individuals who are making adifference in both their
communities by challenging thenorm and creating more inclusive
cultures across theirorganisations.
There's so much to learn everysingle week.
I love it.
I get all the inspiration and,again, all of that advice and
guidance to help me with my ownpersonal and professional growth
too.
So it's absolutely a one to onefor me.
I'm sure that's what it is, but, yeah, I love every week having
(01:02):
these conversations, and thisweek is no exception.
I'm delighted to introduce youto this week's guest, martina
Witter, who is a cognitivebehaviour therapist, speaker,
author, trainer, health andwellbeing consultant.
Hello Martina, welcome to theNorthern Power Women Podcast.
Hello, simone, great to be here.
Oh, I do know what you cover somuch and you have achieved so
(01:24):
much and you, you knowconstantly your bio and what I
follow and on the work that youdo.
But tell me, tell me about you,would it?
Tell me a bit, let's before weget into sort of some of it.
Give me a bit of a set in thatcontext of your tell me your
life story maybe not your lifestory.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
Oh gosh, where do I start For me when I think about
my life story?
It's been tough I can't overlookthat fact and it has been a
journey of resilience, a journeyof growth, because, yeah, in my
early twenties I unfortunatelylost my mum, and that was that
(02:05):
was a major turning point for mein terms of just reflecting on
what is life about, my purposeand you know, when we think
about life, you know, havingyour parents or caregivers is so
critical for your journey, foryour growth and development, and
I I had a choice at that pointwhether I was going to retreat,
(02:27):
literally, whether I was goingto stagnate or go forward.
And I decided to to go forwardand to use that setback and use
it as a stepping stone for forgrowth and progress.
At the time, clearly, I wasn'tthinking that, but for me,
everything that I do, a lot ofwhat I do, is driven by my
(02:52):
mother, my mother that I lostbecause she personified
resilience and I feel like I am,I'm here to live her
unfulfilled dreams.
So that is a large part of ofof of what I do, and I love
people.
I love people and so did my mum.
Speaker 2 (03:10):
And what age were you when you lost your mum?
So I was 21.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
So yeah, I mean I was , I was young, I was final year
at uni, still finding myself anddid you get?
Speaker 2 (03:22):
did you get counselling or did you?
You know, and I say this as apersonal for me, I lost my dad
when I was 20, you know, and itis, it's, it's, it's like you
know, he's here.
I've got a picture of him herein the office now, which
obviously you can't see becauseit's a podcast, you know, but I
feel like he is watching over megoing go girl.
You know kind of thing Is yourmum doing the same?
Speaker 1 (03:41):
Oh, yes, always I came into my office I've moved
office recently with my sisterand she's like she was saying,
oh, mum would be cheering you on, saying Well done tea, and that
just really, you know, touchedmy heart, Because sometimes,
yeah, people can take forgranted who they've got in their
lives, essentially.
So, yeah, that little reminderwas really nice for me, but I do
(04:03):
feel like she's she's cheeringme on and I'm yeah, I'm was very
, I'm very much like herpersonality.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
Yeah, and did you get any counselling?
Did you get any griefcounselling?
I didn't.
Speaker 1 (04:16):
No, I didn't, I had.
I would say.
For me it was that socialsupport that really helped
people family, friends rallyingaround and I'm the type of
person, although I was grieving,I felt like I had to be strong
for everyone else, so my griefreaction was slightly delayed.
I was in my final year of uniso I couldn't stop.
(04:37):
And then my sister was suicidaland took an overdose, so you
know it was dealing with all ofthat and I'm the second eldest,
so it's.
I had no time at that point toagree.
We just had to keep going andfortunately I did.
But I was very self-aware thatI knew that I needed at some
(05:01):
point, at the right point, tostop and then to process.
I wasn't in denial, but it'smore about timing.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
It's strange, isn't it?
And I think we talk way moreopenly now about grief and you
know sort of an un-morning andsort of those different stages.
I remember people would crossover the road rather than talk
to me when I went back to I wasin the Navy at the time and so
you kind of go back to thisworld.
It's interesting, isn't it?
And it's you know, you talkright at the start when we
(05:28):
talked about you and yourhistory and where you talked
about finding your purpose andyou talked about your mum being
resilient, and this is what youdo now.
Right, you specialize inresilience training and we've
just talked about, you know, ina small part about grief, and
you know, but why is resiliencesuch an amazing and key thing to
(05:51):
have in?
Speaker 1 (05:51):
your toolkit.
One of the main reasons is thatit's a protective factor
against stress, anxiety anddepression.
We're all living in thisever-changing world, vucal world
, everything's just changing.
Lots of volatility, uncertainty, complexity.
So resilience is that kind ofsoft skill which can help us to
(06:12):
navigate through it.
And the reality is, whether youlike it or not, you need to
build your resilience muscles,otherwise you will struggle to
get through in life.
We will all experience sometype of loss, some type of
adversity and setback.
So why not prepare for that inadvance?
Why not get out of your comfortzone and just embrace the
(06:34):
challenge?
I love a challenge.
That is my personality.
I know I sound crazy, but I do.
I just thrive off a challengeand I feel that that is when I
really connect with the true andauthentic Martina, and that's
why I love doing what I do.
Speaker 2 (06:51):
And how do you grow it?
How do you?
Is it something you can feedand cultivate?
Speaker 1 (06:55):
resilience- yes, definitely.
One thing that you can do isget outside of your comfort zone
, try a new skill.
Learn a new skill, because thatrequires resilience, and then,
when you face challenges andsetbacks, then you can learn to
navigate through those.
You're also able to identifyyour strengths, and leveraging
your strengths is also anotherway of building your resilience.
(07:18):
So, instead of listening tothat doubt, you've got to put a
lid on it and maybe try andlearn a new skill, or go for
that job that you've beenthinking about, or meet with
someone you've wanted to connectwith for a long time through
LinkedIn or through wherever.
You've just got to get out ofyour comfort zone, and that's
where the growth comes.
It's uncomfortable, of courseit is, but the end result is
(07:40):
always beneficial.
Speaker 2 (07:41):
And you just said I wrote it down because I loved it
.
I always talk every week aboutphrases or statements that
should be on a tote bag or aT-shirt.
You talked about retreat,stagnate or go forward.
Does that yeah?
I feel like there's a whole ofa merch range here, martina,
come on, but it jumped out at methat Is that kind of part of
that training, or is that thisjust part of your new brand?
Speaker 1 (08:07):
Well, I guess it's what I do day in, day out,
working as a therapist, workingas a coach.
So I don't think I actuallythink about it, but the way that
I label it, I thought it wasgreat.
But essentially it's about whenwe face with challenges or
adversity, or even if we face alittle bit of doubt, self-doubt,
fear, imposter syndrome, wehave got to choose our response
(08:30):
and it's important to rememberthat everyone around us doesn't
control us.
But internally We've got thisinternal locus of control and
we've got to believe that we caninfluence situations.
But if you don't have thatresilient mindset, you will
stagnate or, unfortunately,retreat.
So I would say having a plan inadvance, always, always having
(08:54):
a plan, and you've got tobelieve in yourself.
You've got to believe inyourself.
Speaker 2 (08:59):
And do you know what people listening now will go
gosh, she's amazing, she's soconfident, she's so bubbly,
she's so enthusiastic.
Have you always found it easyspeaking in public?
So I would say generallyspeaking.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
Yes, as a child I was there's four of us so I was
labelled and I'd say it's apositive as a chatterbox.
Chatterbox.
I just I have this vision ofbeing on the train with my mum
and my siblings and everyoneelse was sleeping, but I was
just chattering away.
(09:32):
Mum can have this and that.
So I would say that that skillcommunication skill and being
extroverted that has helped withpublic speaking, but it's not I
wouldn't say it's always beeneasy.
You've got to nurture thatthough, that skill, and you've
got to build upon it.
And of course, I do feelanxious at times, but you've
(09:55):
just got to look beyond thatfeeling and ensure that you
don't allow that to influencehow you're delivering.
You've got to connect with theaudience or whoever you're
speaking to.
Speaker 2 (10:07):
Are there any top tips out there?
Because you say you speak atconferences, you run the radio,
you're giving keynotes, you know, and you're taking your space
and you're talking about whatyou're loving, you're passionate
about, but what would you say?
Because I remember, you know, Iwas given opportunities early
on and I was like, oh, I don'twant to do that, I like being
behind the scenes, I'm notreally bothered about being on
(10:29):
there taking the mic, so tospeak.
And now, you know, I don't.
I find I feel things are morelike a conversation or more like
a chatter.
What?
What would you say?
What advice would you give toany?
You know anyone out there whothinks you know, who's worried
about speaking in public orwhatever?
Speaker 1 (10:46):
Yeah, I would say the first thing that springs to
mind is visualization, seeingyourself on that stage, owning
it.
That is what I do, because thatevokes those positive emotions.
So, and it's a bit like in thesense of therapy, it's a bit of
exposure therapy.
So when you actually come todeliver it, you've already done
(11:06):
it, so you're just doing it fora second time and those emotions
, those negative emotions, havesubsided.
And also preparation,preparation, preparation,
preparation.
It's not rocket science but,like I've prepared to come on
the podcast today, you've got toprepare and that will help
(11:29):
anyone to excel and it willallow you to identify those
areas that you might need to,might need to refine.
So, preparation I walk up anddown the stage, make sure I'm
smiling, look in the mirror,think about where I might need
to interject a bit of humor,some quotes and just maintaining
eye contact, but also what I'velearned.
(11:51):
I say ladies, running life notthat old, but I'm not that young
authenticity.
I would say that, as I've grownand developed as an individual,
personally and professionallyand I was just sharing this at
Supervision Stay and I was witha client but just being your
authentic self, it just flows.
It's so much you get out ofyour head and you're more
(12:12):
connected with what you'redelivering, and then that has
greater impact.
So own your, I say own yoursuperpower, own yourself,
essentially.
Speaker 2 (12:23):
I'm a big fan, big fan, martina.
The Wonder Woman pose any timebefore going on stage or podcast
or whatever it is Hands on hips, you know, shoulders back, head
up I'm like five foot tall, I'msuddenly six foot and then you
just take, take the stage.
But I think that authenticityis really key, isn't it?
You know, we've talked many,many times on this podcast about
(12:43):
imposter syndrome and you know,I think that don't try and be
someone else, isn't it?
Because you know they're doingthem, you do you, you know, I
think it's really important.
I think that, and the power,it's owning your own super oh,
wonder Woman, superpowers we'vegot, I can feel it now.
We've got.
We've got capes, capes to gowith the merch.
Now, martina, that's what we'vegot.
Speaker 1 (13:04):
Oh, wow, I'm just visualising myself with this
cape.
Oh, am I going by?
Do it do?
Speaker 2 (13:10):
it have it and it will have retreat, stagnate or
go forward on the back.
I'm sure it will.
But you know, and I know youwork with a lot of big
organisations, whether it be inthe chief execs or board or HR,
and it's very much passionateabout well-being in the
workplace and there's a lot oftalk, isn't there, about
(13:30):
well-being?
And you know, I remember goingto when we had our Northern Path
Futures event a few years ago,when a session which was, you
know, well-being is more thanjust putting fruit in a basket.
Speaker 1 (13:40):
you know you can get fruit in a basket at home.
Speaker 2 (13:44):
Absolutely, but talk to us about how that well-being
is linked to productivity,profitability, you know.
Talk to us about how that isall connected.
Yeah, so.
Speaker 1 (13:57):
Clale.
If someone's well-being isenhanced, they're not feeling
stressed and they're just a lothappier.
That's going to impact upontheir mindset, their outlook,
how they interact with customers, with one another.
It will strengthen teamcohesion and essentially it will
improve decision making.
It will improve productivity.
(14:18):
It will reduce sickness absencerates as well.
So it's all interlinked.
And if we think about if you'rehappy in delivering a service
or just in your job, itpermeates throughout the whole
organisation, so that well-being, productivity levels will be a
lot higher.
You'll be less distracted Ifyou are feeling a bit stressed.
You've got some tools andskills to help to anchor you in
(14:42):
the present moment, so thatthere are some of the main ways
that well-being helps with withproductivity and we're all
looking to boost ourproductivity.
And I would say it's about theorganisation taking a role
alongside the individual.
It shouldn't just be viewed asthe individual's responsibility,
because sometimesorganisational shifts need to
(15:05):
take place to enhance well-being.
Speaker 2 (15:08):
We love a top tip, don't we?
And so what are the sense ofsome of those tools that
employers can use to help staffmorale and well-being?
Speaker 1 (15:13):
So I would say creating psychological safety
within organisations, creating aspace where employers and staff
feel safe to talk aboutchallenges or just to talk about
experiences or to even questionthat.
And the leaders and managersshould lead by examples, so they
(15:34):
should display psychologicalsafety, and then that will
encourage employees to followsuit, and then that will help to
strengthen the organisation,strengthen teams.
People will feel less isolated,less lonely, more connected,
and more so with the remote workand hybrid work.
And this is really critical insupporting employees to enhance
(15:57):
their wellbeing, because thereality is you don't know what
someone's doing when they're athome working.
You don't know what I mean.
It works for some people.
For others it can actually bemore stressful and everyone's
environment is different.
So, taking a holistic approachand an individualised approach
simultaneously, you've got toknow your people, which takes
(16:18):
time.
Do the work.
Speaker 2 (16:20):
Absolutely Lisservaux , isn't it?
You know, talk to me.
You know the busiest woman inthe world.
You know whether it be training, coaching, speaker, therapist
you know?
Speaker 1 (16:30):
So no, that's you.
You're the busiest woman in theworld not me, Tell me.
Speaker 2 (16:35):
tell me what's next for you.
What's next?
What are you excited about?
What's next?
Speaker 1 (16:40):
Well, we're doing a lot of recruitment.
To be honest, I'm really yeah,really excited about growing the
team and looking at working.
I mean, I'm really passionateabout health and wellbeing, but
passionate I love my spa breaks.
So we're looking towardslooking forward to working with
those organisations, workingwith the organisations that
(17:03):
already promote wellbeing, butin a slightly different, less
corporate way.
So I'm all about connectingwith my values and what's
important to me, and I know spabreaks do wonders for me.
So taking that holisticapproach and also connecting
with other organisations andcreating more bespoke packages.
(17:23):
So I work with children as well.
So we're doing more work aroundthat, not just the adults.
Speaker 2 (17:28):
Amazing and it's the power of that collaboration as
well, isn't it?
And keep sort of refining howyou work, because you know the
world has changed and willcontinue to change.
So I look forward.
We need to watch this space,martina.
We will put details in the shownotes so people can stay
connected with your amazinglyenthusiastic work that you do
out there.
Martina, I don't know where thetime goes.
(17:48):
Thank you so much for joiningme this week.
Let's get that.
Let's get the merch, you know,wonder Woman.
Thank you, martina, thank you,it's been a pleasure and thanks
all of you for listening.
Remember these are our weeklyepisodes, so do subscribe, do
not miss a single episode whereyou get to listen to some of the
(18:08):
amazing women like Martina ontoday and our pathway to power
season.
If you'd like to join us onthis mission of professional and
personal development andempower each other, then please
leave us a review.
We would love to hear from you.
Join in on all our socials atNorth Power Women, on Twitter
and Northern Power Women and allthe others.
We'd love to hear from you andstay connected with everything
(18:29):
that we've got going on in ourwe Are Power World at
WeArePowernet, which is ourfantastic digital platform,
don't you know?
You can see.
Look up Martina's profile whileyou're on there.
Thank you so much.
My name is Simone.
This is the Northern PowerWomen podcast and what goes on
media production.
The Northern Power Women Podcast for your career
and your life, no matter whatbusiness you're in.
Hello and welcome to theNorthern Power Women Podcast.
My name is Simone and this isthe path to power season.
It's the season where, everyweek, I've been talking to
amazing women, amazing changemakers, trailblazers, amazing
(00:39):
individuals who are making adifference in both their
communities by challenging thenorm and creating more inclusive
cultures across theirorganisations.
There's so much to learn everysingle week.
I love it.
I get all the inspiration and,again, all of that advice and
guidance to help me with my ownpersonal and professional growth
too.
So it's absolutely a one to onefor me.
I'm sure that's what it is, but, yeah, I love every week having
(01:02):
these conversations, and thisweek is no exception.
I'm delighted to introduce youto this week's guest, martina
Witter, who is a cognitivebehaviour therapist, speaker,
author, trainer, health andwellbeing consultant.
Hello Martina, welcome to theNorthern Power Women Podcast.
Hello, simone, great to be here.
Oh, I do know what you cover somuch and you have achieved so
(01:24):
much and you, you knowconstantly your bio and what I
follow and on the work that youdo.
But tell me, tell me about you,would it?
Tell me a bit, let's before weget into sort of some of it.
Give me a bit of a set in thatcontext of your tell me your
life story maybe not your lifestory.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
Oh gosh, where do I start For me when I think about
my life story?
It's been tough I can't overlookthat fact and it has been a
journey of resilience, a journeyof growth, because, yeah, in my
early twenties I unfortunatelylost my mum, and that was that
(02:05):
was a major turning point for mein terms of just reflecting on
what is life about, my purposeand you know, when we think
about life, you know, havingyour parents or caregivers is so
critical for your journey, foryour growth and development, and
I I had a choice at that pointwhether I was going to retreat,
(02:27):
literally, whether I was goingto stagnate or go forward.
And I decided to to go forwardand to use that setback and use
it as a stepping stone for forgrowth and progress.
At the time, clearly, I wasn'tthinking that, but for me,
everything that I do, a lot ofwhat I do, is driven by my
(02:52):
mother, my mother that I lostbecause she personified
resilience and I feel like I am,I'm here to live her
unfulfilled dreams.
So that is a large part of ofof of what I do, and I love
people.
I love people and so did my mum.
Speaker 2 (03:10):
And what age were you when you lost your mum?
So I was 21.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
So yeah, I mean I was , I was young, I was final year
at uni, still finding myself anddid you get?
Speaker 2 (03:22):
did you get counselling or did you?
You know, and I say this as apersonal for me, I lost my dad
when I was 20, you know, and itis, it's, it's, it's like you
know, he's here.
I've got a picture of him herein the office now, which
obviously you can't see becauseit's a podcast, you know, but I
feel like he is watching over megoing go girl.
You know kind of thing Is yourmum doing the same?
Speaker 1 (03:41):
Oh, yes, always I came into my office I've moved
office recently with my sisterand she's like she was saying,
oh, mum would be cheering you on, saying Well done tea, and that
just really, you know, touchedmy heart, Because sometimes,
yeah, people can take forgranted who they've got in their
lives, essentially.
So, yeah, that little reminderwas really nice for me, but I do
(04:03):
feel like she's she's cheeringme on and I'm yeah, I'm was very
, I'm very much like herpersonality.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
Yeah, and did you get any counselling?
Did you get any griefcounselling?
I didn't.
Speaker 1 (04:16):
No, I didn't, I had.
I would say.
For me it was that socialsupport that really helped
people family, friends rallyingaround and I'm the type of
person, although I was grieving,I felt like I had to be strong
for everyone else, so my griefreaction was slightly delayed.
I was in my final year of uniso I couldn't stop.
(04:37):
And then my sister was suicidaland took an overdose, so you
know it was dealing with all ofthat and I'm the second eldest,
so it's.
I had no time at that point toagree.
We just had to keep going andfortunately I did.
But I was very self-aware thatI knew that I needed at some
(05:01):
point, at the right point, tostop and then to process.
I wasn't in denial, but it'smore about timing.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
It's strange, isn't it?
And I think we talk way moreopenly now about grief and you
know sort of an un-morning andsort of those different stages.
I remember people would crossover the road rather than talk
to me when I went back to I wasin the Navy at the time and so
you kind of go back to thisworld.
It's interesting, isn't it?
And it's you know, you talkright at the start when we
(05:28):
talked about you and yourhistory and where you talked
about finding your purpose andyou talked about your mum being
resilient, and this is what youdo now.
Right, you specialize inresilience training and we've
just talked about, you know, ina small part about grief, and
you know, but why is resiliencesuch an amazing and key thing to
(05:51):
have in?
Speaker 1 (05:51):
your toolkit.
One of the main reasons is thatit's a protective factor
against stress, anxiety anddepression.
We're all living in thisever-changing world, vucal world
, everything's just changing.
Lots of volatility, uncertainty, complexity.
So resilience is that kind ofsoft skill which can help us to
(06:12):
navigate through it.
And the reality is, whether youlike it or not, you need to
build your resilience muscles,otherwise you will struggle to
get through in life.
We will all experience sometype of loss, some type of
adversity and setback.
So why not prepare for that inadvance?
Why not get out of your comfortzone and just embrace the
(06:34):
challenge?
I love a challenge.
That is my personality.
I know I sound crazy, but I do.
I just thrive off a challengeand I feel that that is when I
really connect with the true andauthentic Martina, and that's
why I love doing what I do.
Speaker 2 (06:51):
And how do you grow it?
How do you?
Is it something you can feedand cultivate?
Speaker 1 (06:55):
resilience- yes, definitely.
One thing that you can do isget outside of your comfort zone
, try a new skill.
Learn a new skill, because thatrequires resilience, and then,
when you face challenges andsetbacks, then you can learn to
navigate through those.
You're also able to identifyyour strengths, and leveraging
your strengths is also anotherway of building your resilience.
(07:18):
So, instead of listening tothat doubt, you've got to put a
lid on it and maybe try andlearn a new skill, or go for
that job that you've beenthinking about, or meet with
someone you've wanted to connectwith for a long time through
LinkedIn or through wherever.
You've just got to get out ofyour comfort zone, and that's
where the growth comes.
It's uncomfortable, of courseit is, but the end result is
(07:40):
always beneficial.
Speaker 2 (07:41):
And you just said I wrote it down because I loved it
.
I always talk every week aboutphrases or statements that
should be on a tote bag or aT-shirt.
You talked about retreat,stagnate or go forward.
Does that yeah?
I feel like there's a whole ofa merch range here, martina,
come on, but it jumped out at methat Is that kind of part of
that training, or is that thisjust part of your new brand?
Speaker 1 (08:07):
Well, I guess it's what I do day in, day out,
working as a therapist, workingas a coach.
So I don't think I actuallythink about it, but the way that
I label it, I thought it wasgreat.
But essentially it's about whenwe face with challenges or
adversity, or even if we face alittle bit of doubt, self-doubt,
fear, imposter syndrome, wehave got to choose our response
(08:30):
and it's important to rememberthat everyone around us doesn't
control us.
But internally We've got thisinternal locus of control and
we've got to believe that we caninfluence situations.
But if you don't have thatresilient mindset, you will
stagnate or, unfortunately,retreat.
So I would say having a plan inadvance, always, always having
(08:54):
a plan, and you've got tobelieve in yourself.
You've got to believe inyourself.
Speaker 2 (08:59):
And do you know what people listening now will go
gosh, she's amazing, she's soconfident, she's so bubbly,
she's so enthusiastic.
Have you always found it easyspeaking in public?
So I would say generallyspeaking.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
Yes, as a child I was there's four of us so I was
labelled and I'd say it's apositive as a chatterbox.
Chatterbox.
I just I have this vision ofbeing on the train with my mum
and my siblings and everyoneelse was sleeping, but I was
just chattering away.
(09:32):
Mum can have this and that.
So I would say that that skillcommunication skill and being
extroverted that has helped withpublic speaking, but it's not I
wouldn't say it's always beeneasy.
You've got to nurture thatthough, that skill, and you've
got to build upon it.
And of course, I do feelanxious at times, but you've
(09:55):
just got to look beyond thatfeeling and ensure that you
don't allow that to influencehow you're delivering.
You've got to connect with theaudience or whoever you're
speaking to.
Speaker 2 (10:07):
Are there any top tips out there?
Because you say you speak atconferences, you run the radio,
you're giving keynotes, you know, and you're taking your space
and you're talking about whatyou're loving, you're passionate
about, but what would you say?
Because I remember, you know, Iwas given opportunities early
on and I was like, oh, I don'twant to do that, I like being
behind the scenes, I'm notreally bothered about being on
(10:29):
there taking the mic, so tospeak.
And now, you know, I don't.
I find I feel things are morelike a conversation or more like
a chatter.
What?
What would you say?
What advice would you give toany?
You know anyone out there whothinks you know, who's worried
about speaking in public orwhatever?
Speaker 1 (10:46):
Yeah, I would say the first thing that springs to
mind is visualization, seeingyourself on that stage, owning
it.
That is what I do, because thatevokes those positive emotions.
So, and it's a bit like in thesense of therapy, it's a bit of
exposure therapy.
So when you actually come todeliver it, you've already done
(11:06):
it, so you're just doing it fora second time and those emotions
, those negative emotions, havesubsided.
And also preparation,preparation, preparation,
preparation.
It's not rocket science but,like I've prepared to come on
the podcast today, you've got toprepare and that will help
(11:29):
anyone to excel and it willallow you to identify those
areas that you might need to,might need to refine.
So, preparation I walk up anddown the stage, make sure I'm
smiling, look in the mirror,think about where I might need
to interject a bit of humor,some quotes and just maintaining
eye contact, but also what I'velearned.
(11:51):
I say ladies, running life notthat old, but I'm not that young
authenticity.
I would say that, as I've grownand developed as an individual,
personally and professionallyand I was just sharing this at
Supervision Stay and I was witha client but just being your
authentic self, it just flows.
It's so much you get out ofyour head and you're more
(12:12):
connected with what you'redelivering, and then that has
greater impact.
So own your, I say own yoursuperpower, own yourself,
essentially.
Speaker 2 (12:23):
I'm a big fan, big fan, martina.
The Wonder Woman pose any timebefore going on stage or podcast
or whatever it is Hands on hips, you know, shoulders back, head
up I'm like five foot tall, I'msuddenly six foot and then you
just take, take the stage.
But I think that authenticityis really key, isn't it?
You know, we've talked many,many times on this podcast about
(12:43):
imposter syndrome and you know,I think that don't try and be
someone else, isn't it?
Because you know they're doingthem, you do you, you know, I
think it's really important.
I think that, and the power,it's owning your own super oh,
wonder Woman, superpowers we'vegot, I can feel it now.
We've got.
We've got capes, capes to gowith the merch.
Now, martina, that's what we'vegot.
Speaker 1 (13:04):
Oh, wow, I'm just visualising myself with this
cape.
Oh, am I going by?
Do it do?
Speaker 2 (13:10):
it have it and it will have retreat, stagnate or
go forward on the back.
I'm sure it will.
But you know, and I know youwork with a lot of big
organisations, whether it be inthe chief execs or board or HR,
and it's very much passionateabout well-being in the
workplace and there's a lot oftalk, isn't there, about
(13:30):
well-being?
And you know, I remember goingto when we had our Northern Path
Futures event a few years ago,when a session which was, you
know, well-being is more thanjust putting fruit in a basket.
Speaker 1 (13:40):
you know you can get fruit in a basket at home.
Speaker 2 (13:44):
Absolutely, but talk to us about how that well-being
is linked to productivity,profitability, you know.
Talk to us about how that isall connected.
Yeah, so.
Speaker 1 (13:57):
Clale.
If someone's well-being isenhanced, they're not feeling
stressed and they're just a lothappier.
That's going to impact upontheir mindset, their outlook,
how they interact with customers, with one another.
It will strengthen teamcohesion and essentially it will
improve decision making.
It will improve productivity.
(14:18):
It will reduce sickness absencerates as well.
So it's all interlinked.
And if we think about if you'rehappy in delivering a service
or just in your job, itpermeates throughout the whole
organisation, so that well-being, productivity levels will be a
lot higher.
You'll be less distracted Ifyou are feeling a bit stressed.
You've got some tools andskills to help to anchor you in
(14:42):
the present moment, so thatthere are some of the main ways
that well-being helps with withproductivity and we're all
looking to boost ourproductivity.
And I would say it's about theorganisation taking a role
alongside the individual.
It shouldn't just be viewed asthe individual's responsibility,
because sometimesorganisational shifts need to
(15:05):
take place to enhance well-being.
Speaker 2 (15:08):
We love a top tip, don't we?
And so what are the sense ofsome of those tools that
employers can use to help staffmorale and well-being?
Speaker 1 (15:13):
So I would say creating psychological safety
within organisations, creating aspace where employers and staff
feel safe to talk aboutchallenges or just to talk about
experiences or to even questionthat.
And the leaders and managersshould lead by examples, so they
(15:34):
should display psychologicalsafety, and then that will
encourage employees to followsuit, and then that will help to
strengthen the organisation,strengthen teams.
People will feel less isolated,less lonely, more connected,
and more so with the remote workand hybrid work.
And this is really critical insupporting employees to enhance
(15:57):
their wellbeing, because thereality is you don't know what
someone's doing when they're athome working.
You don't know what I mean.
It works for some people.
For others it can actually bemore stressful and everyone's
environment is different.
So, taking a holistic approachand an individualised approach
simultaneously, you've got toknow your people, which takes
(16:18):
time.
Do the work.
Speaker 2 (16:20):
Absolutely Lisservaux , isn't it?
You know, talk to me.
You know the busiest woman inthe world.
You know whether it be training, coaching, speaker, therapist
you know?
Speaker 1 (16:30):
So no, that's you.
You're the busiest woman in theworld not me, Tell me.
Speaker 2 (16:35):
tell me what's next for you.
What's next?
What are you excited about?
What's next?
Speaker 1 (16:40):
Well, we're doing a lot of recruitment.
To be honest, I'm really yeah,really excited about growing the
team and looking at working.
I mean, I'm really passionateabout health and wellbeing, but
passionate I love my spa breaks.
So we're looking towardslooking forward to working with
those organisations, workingwith the organisations that
(17:03):
already promote wellbeing, butin a slightly different, less
corporate way.
So I'm all about connectingwith my values and what's
important to me, and I know spabreaks do wonders for me.
So taking that holisticapproach and also connecting
with other organisations andcreating more bespoke packages.
(17:23):
So I work with children as well.
So we're doing more work aroundthat, not just the adults.
Speaker 2 (17:28):
Amazing and it's the power of that collaboration as
well, isn't it?
And keep sort of refining howyou work, because you know the
world has changed and willcontinue to change.
So I look forward.
We need to watch this space,martina.
We will put details in the shownotes so people can stay
connected with your amazinglyenthusiastic work that you do
out there.
Martina, I don't know where thetime goes.
(17:48):
Thank you so much for joiningme this week.
Let's get that.
Let's get the merch, you know,wonder Woman.
Thank you, martina, thank you,it's been a pleasure and thanks
all of you for listening.
Remember these are our weeklyepisodes, so do subscribe, do
not miss a single episode whereyou get to listen to some of the
(18:08):
amazing women like Martina ontoday and our pathway to power
season.
If you'd like to join us onthis mission of professional and
personal development andempower each other, then please
leave us a review.
We would love to hear from you.
Join in on all our socials atNorth Power Women, on Twitter
and Northern Power Women and allthe others.
We'd love to hear from you andstay connected with everything
(18:29):
that we've got going on in ourwe Are Power World at
WeArePowernet, which is ourfantastic digital platform,
don't you know?
You can see.
Look up Martina's profile whileyou're on there.
Thank you so much.
My name is Simone.
This is the Northern PowerWomen podcast and what goes on
media production.
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