March 4, 2024 • 31 mins
Get excited! This is the fifth of our Meet the Authors series introducing your to the co-authors of the Women Excelling Everywhere book!
Meet Emma Weaver, founder of Mental Wealth International, mental health services doing more to support people in the workforce. Please enjoy our conversation with this delightful single mum of three from the shimmering Emerald Isle of Ireland.
Order your copy of the WEE book in digital NOW and in paperback on March 8th.
Connect with Emma:
Like the show? Be sure to Like, Subscribe, and Share! Interested in being a part of WEE? Reach out to our group liaison, Kelli@WomenExcellingEverywhere.com
Meet Emma Weaver, founder of Mental Wealth International, mental health services doing more to support people in the workforce. Please enjoy our conversation with this delightful single mum of three from the shimmering Emerald Isle of Ireland.
Order your copy of the WEE book in digital NOW and in paperback on March 8th.
Connect with Emma:
Like the show? Be sure to Like, Subscribe, and Share! Interested in being a part of WEE? Reach out to our group liaison, Kelli@WomenExcellingEverywhere.com
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:08):
Welcome everyone to the Women Excelling EverywherePodcast. I am your host, Julie
Anderson, and I am here withan amazing Emma Weaver. Emma, welcome
to the Women Excelling Everywhere Podcast.Oh thank you so much. I am
delighted to be here this evening.I love it. Emma is tying in
(00:29):
from all the way over from inIreland and I'm here in California, so
we're playing with two different time zones. But this is another special edition of
this podcast, and the reason whyit's special is because this is connected.
Emma is another one of our amazingco authors in our collaborative book, Women
(00:49):
Excelling Everywhere What defines their passion?Discover what defines their passion and success.
And I am just blown away byall of the contributors and all of the
synergy and all of the energy thatwe all have and the powerful message that
we are bringing out to the world. But let me read you a little
(01:11):
bit about her bio and then we'llget to know the real Emma. So.
Emma Weaver is a trailblazer in thefield of mental health and well being
and the visionary founder of behind MentalWealth International, with an unwavering dedication.
Emma is on a mission to transformworkplaces, creating culture of mental health and
(01:34):
well being excellence through her signature toolboxtalks, mental health, first aid and
workshops. Drawing from an impressive twentythree year experience in the mental health and
wellbeing sector, Emma's expertise has touchedcountless lives. Her journey is undiscovered by
underscored by her deep seated purpose ofa force that propels her to share the
(01:59):
hope and expertise through both her personaland professional endeavors she has. She had
her debut novel called The Blue Line, which is achieving international bestseller status along
with our Women Excelling Everywhere book.She her latest book is Mental Wealth,
further solidifies her reputation as an awardwinning author, tapping into her expertise insights
(02:23):
into mental health and wellbeing. Soonce again, Emma, Welcome, Welcome,
Welcome to the Women Excelling Everywhere Podcast. Yay gosh, that sides terribly
as if I've achieved so much.When you hear sobody say it a pacty,
I'm like, oh gosh, reading, Yeah, what's amazing, amazing,
It's wonderful and it's so it's ait's a topic that's very that I'm
(02:45):
very passionate about. One of theone of the programs that I bring into
corporate is corporate well being. Right. She goes everywhere from having plans in
your environment to taking care of themental health of the workers by the way
you interact with them and all in, all on, all in, So
it's just it's it's again, there'ssuch a synergy in this book which has
(03:05):
me so wonderfully excited. But letme let me just kind of step step,
take a step back and ask you. I mean, this is a
You've done amazing work. You're You'veauthored several books, but let's get to
why you got to this point,Like, tell us a little bit about
your background, Emma, who?Who? Who is Emma? And what
(03:28):
led you to go into this fieldthat you're working in. Thank you?
Oh gosh. And so I ama mom of three. I have three
wonderful children, and my eldest istwenty eight, and then I have a
sixteen year old and a seven yearold. So I am absolutely delighted that
there's such a huge gap between thembecause that allows me to continue doing the
(03:51):
things that I do. And obviouslyI was a young mom, and I
was certainly one of the first thingsthat came to life that again, and
I've mentioned this even in the chapterin the book. It's never a straight
line. There's always different things,but it's how you respond and deal with
whatever it is that's going on inyour life. And it definitely changed me
(04:11):
as a person. And I knowpeople say this all the time, but
having my first daughter made me whoI am. I genuinely would not be
them away whether you were talking totoday, had I not have had it.
She shaped a beautiful future for meand we kind of grew together.
So whenever obviously became a young mom, I went back to college after having
(04:33):
her and started on a it's likea social work course and one of my
first placements was in a day supportcenter for adults with mental health issues,
and some of them mental health conditions, just depending what was going on.
And when I walked into the room, I realized I knew a lot of
(04:54):
people in the room. I didnot know these people had mental health issues.
And a bear in mind, thisis like twenty five years ago that
had mental health and the stigma andthe thought process around it was the moment
you were diagnosed or it was recognizedtod to mental health issue. It was
nearly like stop everything you are onwell, these people were living as normal
(05:19):
enough lives as they could in thecommunity. They had families, they drove
cars, they had jobs. Theywere the bank managers, the bus drivers,
the people you met in the shop. And I remember, even at
that young age, I'm going tosay young age because you know, I'll
aw that twenty five years did it. I realized that it was the support
(05:40):
within the community. So the supportfor those within their own community was allowing
them to live a fulfilled life intheir communities. And it just that feeling
never left me. So that's reallywhat drove me. Then, I suppose
in the career of supporting people withmental health issues in their communities. So
(06:01):
I obviously graduated. I actually graduatedon September the eleven, once of the
day, that twenty half last day. I graduated and built a career around
the essence of the importance of supportingpeople in their own environments as much as
possible, and then I managed themental health services all across different trust areas
(06:24):
here in the North of Ireland andreally set the foundation in terms of all
that experience, the knowledge, engagingand working with different teams understanding different impacts
of mental health trends. Because theworld's a different place now than what it
was that I was twenty five,Like I mean, I don't even think
I am mobile phone, you know, so the war is a complete different
(06:46):
place. And that really formed thebasis of my understand And then about three
and a half years ago I leftthat job and founded Mental Wealth International.
And again it was because much asthere's amazing workout there, some of it's
there's a lot of gaps and servicesand I really believe we need that is
(07:08):
quite important to receive the support withinyou know, within your environment, within
your community, but in a timelymanner. I think timely is very very
important. And now with Mental WealthInternational, that's what I do. I
we train people to be mental healthforce data so in that moment of need,
there's somebody there to support you inthat moment. So that's really what's
(07:30):
driving Mental Wealth International forward. Ilove that. It's interesting that a couple
other things. So you say thatyou graduated on nine to eleven. I
one of the certificates that I holdis on Psychological first Aid, which is
kind of what you're talking about helpingpeople in that moment that they need it,
and that that whole entire program cameout of the need that was presented
(07:58):
in that of that tragedy because theyfound that, you know, there was
all the triaging of the physical youknow, obviously physical injuries, but they
were sending in as the days wenton and the search went on and all
they were sending in psychotherapists to goin and help with the first aid to
(08:20):
the people mentally, which I thinkhad really missed in the past. So
and I know you mentioned that aswell. You know, the two work
in corporates and things got but evento have mental health for staters or the
same as you're saying, psychological firsdate in that moment, the outcome can
(08:43):
be so much more better if weare supported in our moment of need.
I think it's and in an environmentthat's familiar to us, and it's been
proven. There's a lot of researcharound it, but certainly even from people
that I have worked with over thelast few years, it does you know,
it creates a huge impact. Yeah, totally. And I think part
(09:03):
of it is it it's almost likecatching it before it explodes, Yes,
because we have a tendency as humanbeings, don't we too, We have
that emotional need and then the timepasses and we start to go compartmentalize it
or we put it back here inour head and we're like, oh,
(09:26):
I'm okay, I don't need thehelp anymore. When in actuality, you're
still in that vulnerable position. You'rejust starting to mask it better, and
the prey better is on even thepeople that you're surrounded with every day and
sometimes not all the time. Ijust want to say, but sometimes family
are very close and they're very emotionallyattached, so it's maybe it's somebody outside
(09:48):
of that that you trust, thatcould be that one person and that like
we quite often tell people it's goodto talk, it is good to talk.
We need to talk. Reach outif you need support. Let me
tell you from a personal and professionalyou know background, the hardest thing to
do sometimes is to reach out forhelp. So if you have the right
(10:11):
people around you that maybe are trainedor that no one off about you to
see a difference or change in yourpersonality or what's going on, somebody reaching
in, yeah is what's needed.As well as expecting people who are terribly
on will to reach out for supportif we're in enough kind of you know
(10:31):
confidence and you know competence to goforward to reach into people and say,
look, I've noticed you're just notat yourself, or your a bit quiet,
or you've been coming in late.Is everything all right? Yeah?
Yeah, Then that's a wonderful pointin the leadership programs that I lead,
and I'm sure it's very similar withwhat you do in training leaders. Even
(10:52):
if they aren't the one that isequipped with the how do you help,
they're the ones who are going tonotice the most because they're the ones that
interact with them as they're leading themon the job. So it's it's incredibly
important I think, to really toemphasize that in leadership training that even if
(11:13):
you don't have the training psychologically tomanage that, simply asking those those basic
questions and then going and making thatconnect and that connection for them to the
person or the team within the organizationthat handles the or that deals with the
(11:33):
mental health wellness or I love whatyou say, mental wealth, right,
But being able to make those connectionsthat's so crucial and teammates as well,
you know, the person's say,yeah, the person sitting next to but
it can't be anybody. I'm reallytrying to get us to go. There
is and amy is a book andI have it here. It's it's called
(11:54):
Bowling Alone by Robert Pittman. It'sactually like it's I mean, it's a
huge book and it was a stunresearch of American society in terms of community
and how you kind of lost theart. But it's not really that we've
lost the art of community. Itjust looks a little bit different now than
what it did years ago. Especiallyand I'm going to say with women maybe
(12:16):
excelling in their dreams and their goalsand in excellence and you know, rules
of change. So community sometimes looksa little bit different. And it might
be the workplace, or it mightbe a group that you go to.
It's not necessarily your neighbors or familyliving close by anymore. But we certainly
can create it and in whatever thatlooks like. But be intent and do
(12:39):
it in an intentional way and knowyou know what you need as well.
Yeah, that's beautiful, absolutely beautiful, so important and removing that stigma,
you know, taking that away.Look, we're we're all, we all
on some level. It's just inthe world we live in. We are
(13:00):
touched on some level with mental healthchallenges, right, everybody, everybody is,
because that's just the world world thatwe have. The thing about women,
because it's quite up that we're doingthis the savening because on Saturday evening
I was out at a female eventit's called a Ladies Night, and I
was doing a talk for women.So it was all women in the room.
(13:22):
And you know what, there's nothingas amazing as the energy when you
get a room full of women thatare just allowing themselves to be in the
moment and take a couple of hoursout of everything else that's expected. And
one of the things that I talkabout and hopefully you'd agree, is we're
not very good at saying no tothings. We are primary caregivers, so
(13:43):
everyone else gets in the way.So one of the things that I like
to even create a conversation around isno is a full sentence. And as
women were like no, because butmaybe no just no that's not for me
or no not right now. Justwe need to get better at that in
terms of our way all being oreven as women in business or you know,
(14:05):
really allowing us to focus on whatwe need to do, and I'm
saying no without carrying the way lita bit of guilt or whatever it is
round it very good points, uh, And sometimes it's it's not no permanently,
it's no right now, it's justa yeah, it's just I need
(14:26):
to. I need I can't.I can't give my all to this position
or to this project, or tothis thing because I have to take care
of something here, right. Andit's so that sometimes I think helps women
reframe the is instead of taking itas a negative thing. Well, I
don't want to let people down.I don't want to you know, they
(14:48):
need me or I need to dothis, or it's my kids, or
it's my husband, or it's myyou know, the people that I love
in the community or the family orwhatever. And it's you're actually doing them
a disservice if you take it onwhen you're not fully capable of managing it.
So it's yeah, it's a beautifulsentiment now driving you do you do
(15:11):
you think there was a pivotal pointin your life because you said that for
many years you were working in thatcorporate sector, working for someone else,
and for the last three years you'vebeen doing this with them with you established
the Mental Wealth Society. Well,I'm sorry, what's the full name again,
Matt International, That's what it is. Do you feel that there might
have been or was there a pivotalpoint or a I call them you know,
(15:37):
aha moment or just a just athing that happened that made you go,
you know what, I'm done withthis, with with this, and
I want to go do this.So along with me management mental health services
I was always involved with and soI find it an adult Daity hit D
charity and I would have worked alot with young moms to get them back
(16:00):
into education and get childcare. SoI was always doing something entrepreneurial just for
one of a better world along withthe job that I was doing, and
I do remember so those skills Ifelt were transferable, so whenever I was
if we picture this, so Ihad offices in all different places because I
(16:21):
managed different teams across the Western Trustin terms of mental health, so some
of it was addiction, some ofthese mental health was actually in older people's
daycare service. So it was alot of different teams that I managed.
So I had offices in all thedifferent places. So there was one day.
So if you became one, well, just say you became one,
well, a family member might sayto you, you need to go and
(16:45):
see the doctor. You go tothe doctor, they'd refer you to the
community mental health team. The communitymental health team would refer you a key
worker, and then they might referyou to the service that I was managed,
and to which I would get apiece of paper telling me about you,
and I would invite you in tohave a talk. I was in
and it was this lady's first timecoming in. She was probably in her
mid fifties, very quiet of herself, lovely, pleasant woman, but was
(17:08):
just done. She was just done. So we were sitting talking away.
This lady had reared a family,and she had been married. She held
a job. I think it mighthave even been a nurse, and I'm
not too sure, but she'd helda job all her life. And there
was a death in the family.Okay, so somebody very close to her
(17:29):
had died, to which then shebecame, you know, quite low mood,
became quite unwell of herself, andnobody could pinpoint it. She had
went back to work. It wasn'tworking. She'd went to her GP potentially
medication, and then we waited twoyears to be on a wait list for
two years from the GP to madea mental health team before she even got
(17:52):
a key worker, before she waseven referred to me. So by the
time she was sitting in front ofme, she lost her job, her
marriage was had ended, her marriagehad ended, and her whole world had
fell apart and I'm not opening it. In that moment, that was my
AHA moment. I realized if somebodyat work or somebody had had the insight
(18:15):
or confidence to recognize this lady wasgrieving, she needed counselance, she needed
grief support. In that moment,I believe her life could have been a
lot different. And that's what mademe think, no, now that I
can't on see this, now Ineed to do something about it. So
(18:36):
I left and now I create mentalhealth for staters and I do workshops and
two box SOPs in I go outin the places. I have a team
of people as well. It's notjust make a team of people that do
it. We go out into placesand deliver this. Instead of expecting people
to come to us to a workshopthat we're facilitating, HR or heading safety
officer or someone we contact them,and we go out in workplaces and deliver
(19:00):
this support so people feel that they'renot left on their own or at least
no where to sign post people toin the moment, because that lady,
I get, like I was,if you don't know, you don't know,
it's those things. If you don'tknow, you don't know. I
just was very clearly able to seethis lady was grieving and if you had
got the grief support at that initialstage, I believe obviously I don't know,
(19:23):
it was my belief in that moment, things would have been different for
her. Yeah, so true,And that's there's such a big message behind
that story. Obviously it changed thecourse of your career. But for any
of us, you know, we'rehearing a lot more about this. A
lot of times we don't ask doyou need something? We don't ask are
(19:48):
you okay, because we don't feelcapable of doing anything. And I've told
people over and over again, doyou realize that probably seventy five percent?
And please don't anyone listening. Ifyou are under the care of a physician
or a psychiatrist or a psychotherapist,by all means, continue go. Please
do not take anything I'm saying hereor anything emassing as a way to change
(20:14):
what you're doing, or medications oranything. But I really feel that the
reality is when you are a therapistor you are in that position, seventy
five percent of your job is justlistening. It's just being there, just
being a person that somebody can openup to. And if you don't have
(20:36):
the skill set to give the advice, you don't feel that's okay, just
listen and then maybe you can helpmake those connections. And I think that's
a powerful can have such a powerfulimpact, And you're right, it makes
you wonder how many individuals had theyhad had they had the support in the
moment. In the moment, Yeah, so that's wonderful, that's so beautifully.
(21:00):
We just need to hold space foreach other sometimes and and I'd say
quite often, you don't have tohave all of the answers or any of
the answers to just hold space andfind where they need to go. But
in the moment, don't because alot of people are afraid to ask how
are you because they're afraid of theanswer, because they're like, I got
(21:22):
but you don't need to do Maybeyou don't need to listen. Yeah,
yeah, I just need to listen. Poor a cup of tea and just
listen and then take action then andsay, you know, do I need
to ring someone else? Like herewe have lifeline the Samartans. You know,
don't leave, don't ever just leaveit there or at least have a
(21:44):
right less catch up again same timetomorrow, always have something afterwards, but
just to hold the space because youjust never know. And but again,
if people don't feel confident and competentabout it, that's where we come in
to say that, well, we'llsupport you to to have this skills and
the tools to be able to havethose conversations, to know where to sign
post people to, because it's notfair expecting people to know either, I
(22:08):
right, because there's like you said, you shared the book, you should
you know, we could show ourbookshelves and our files of all the training
that we have and it's it's weget it, we get it. So
that's but knowing that you have resourcesout there and just educating some it was
some And that's why I'm glad youasked that question because it was in that
(22:30):
moment it was some leap of faithto Dick to leave that job and then
just go forward. But it genuinelyand I hadn't anticipated it, but it
was genuinely. I just couldn't nonesee it and to say, you know,
find your passion and do it purposelyor do it with purpose, and
that's kind of that's what happened.That's what happened. I just kind of
(22:53):
springboarded, and obviously I had allthe connections and contacts and I just I
got to work, got to work. Yep, yep, that's what it
takes. I love it. Sucha great story. Now, Emma,
when you were approached with the ideaof this book, women excelling everywhere?
(23:14):
What did you what attracted you tothat? Well, the fact that it
was all women always appears to bein terms of there's always a common theme,
there's always alignment. And I think, or I believe, that a
book is a beautiful way to allowwomen to be heard and also to reach
(23:36):
people. You know, a bookis something that you can hold and have
with you all the time and liftand take what you need from it in
that moment. And to all thewomen out there in the world that are
going to read this book, failthis book, see themselves in the book
being part of that. It's anhonor and it's something really special and I
(23:59):
believe, hopefully i'd imagine you dotoo. Everybody has a story to tell
and to have the privilege to havea chapter in a book on women excel
and everywhere, to even give peoplea bit of an understanding and hope I'm
background as to how it comes aboutand what it takes and if I can
give any tips or insight into differentthings. It's truly an honor and on
(24:25):
a personal level, a little bitof a selfish level, it remains me
and it heals me and it bringsme back, and having the privilege to
share it is a beautiful feeling aswell. And I mean, who doesn't
want to excel? What woman youknow that has a bit of a vision
and a dream? And that reallycaught me. Yeah, and I'd love
you know, you made the commentearlier in the conversation about your daughter and
(24:48):
how that changed you, and youknow, being a parent changes us and
there are so that's kind of forme. That was like the perfect or
the purpose of the book was helpingwomen excel wherever they're at. So when
I say everywhere, it's really whereverthey're at. It doesn't mean in your
career, it doesn't mean in yourentrepreneurial endeavor. It can be in your
(25:11):
personal growth. It can be inyour parenting, it can be in your
relationship with a significant other. Likeit's just let's just lift and help everything
sell. Yeah, and like Iactually have. I've mentioned some of that
in my chapter, and like it'slovely to be able to I suppose free,
and like what I would have beenwhenever I had my daughter so young,
(25:32):
Excelling as a mother was what wasreally important to me then, and
then as she got older, excellingthen in educating myself to get us out
of poverty, because we were sogetting an education along with my daughter to
give us a better life. Youknow, So as each chapter on folds
(25:52):
in your life, you excel insomething different. And that's the beauty of
having all the co authors common fromall different backgrounds and ideas of what it
is and allowing that right into theworld. It's an amazing thing to do.
I love it. And your chapteris titled success defined on your terms.
So give us just a little Imean you kind of just did,
(26:15):
but give us a little teaser onwhat your chapter is about. And what
the readers are going to experience,we're going to So I do frame it
as I said, I frame itfrom I suppose where I came from and
some of the challenges that I maybe faced in my life that a lot
of people might be able to resonatewith. And certainly the odds were stacked
(26:36):
against us on those early days.So mindset is huge in terms of that
there. But also success on yourterms means to me. You know,
quite often, you know, peoplethink success is one thing, it's a
certain thing, so whether it's moneyin the bank, whether it's having ten
houses, whether it's driving a car, But sometimes it is freedom and choices,
(27:00):
the freedom to make the choices whateveryou choose to do in your life.
So success is personal to everybody.But it's really important to know what
success means to you, what yourvalues and goals are, and that's what
you work towards achieving. On their'swhere the success lives in your life.
I love that. I love that, and I can't wait to see the
(27:22):
reviews coming in because the messages inthe book are so great and that's such
a powerful message. You know,we have to get a really internally identify
what do we want in success becauseI was the same way as you.
You know, when I became amom. I homeschooled my kids, and
I always told people, and tothis day, if there was anything written
(27:42):
on my epiteph you know that Iwould want it to be I wouldn't want
it to be this long list ofcertifications that I've gotten are the years of
education. It would be she wasa great mom. Like, that's what
I want. And so during thattime, my kids are all in their
thirties and so they have their ownfamilies and I still am trying to be
(28:03):
a great mom to them. Butthat's you know, during those years,
I just wanted to be successful inthat, not in a career or not
in a And now I'm I'm actuallypushing more to be more successful in my
relationship with my husband. We've beenmarried for thirty seven years, but for
the first thirty of them, wewere just mom and dad. Do you
see how to changes? So youcan? You have to know what it
(28:26):
is you're striving for or what theirpriority is to detained. So that's why
I say success it's still personal,So you need you get to choose what
success means to you, not tosay it you get to choose Yes,
absolutely, I love it. Youknow what, this has been a wonderful
conversation, Emma, and I soappreciate your contribution to the book. I
(28:48):
am very excited about the future thingsthat we're going to be doing. We're
going to have a summit in afew weeks and it's just going to be
amazing. We're going to continue thisentire movement of helping women excel everywhere,
wherever, the at and whatever theyneed. So I love that, and
mental health and mental wealth is soimportant part of that equation. Right,
So, thank you so much forbeing a part of the book and for
(29:11):
being on the podcast today. Thepleasure is all mine. I can assure
you. Thank you so much,absolutely, all right, And for everyone
listening, be sure to check outthe book. It is available on digital
right now. Is you can goto Amazon. Will be sure to put
in the links or in the shownotes the links for the digital version,
(29:32):
and as of March eighth, youwill be able to order the paperback as
well. It is available in manydifferent countries, so be sure to check
that out. You'll be able toread fifteen I tell people, it's not
just fifteen stories It's fifteen stories withmessages, with lessons, with tips,
and it's going to resonate one ofthose, if not more, is going
(29:52):
to resonate with each of the peoplewho read it. So check that out.
If you have thoughts regarding this podcast, have thoughts and ideas or people
you would like to see interviewed onthe Women Excelling Everywhere, be sure to
send us an email at info atWomen Excelling Everywhere dot com. Be watching
over the next few weeks because wewill continue to drop these podcasts as I
(30:14):
interview all of the contributors to thisamazing book that is out now, and
you'll get to meet them all,see their faces, put a face to
that name, and it'll be wonderful, wonderful to connect with each of them.
We'll also have all the ways thatyou can connect with Emma you will
find in the book as well asin the show notes. We also,
of course, have launched our privatemembership community, Women Excelling Everywhere, that
(30:38):
is just about that is to helpyou excel wherever you're at, so be
sure to check that out. WomenExcelling Everywhere dot Com will have the link
to that private Women Excelling Everywhere successcollective, all right, And for now
that wraps up this particular episode ofthe Women Excelling Everywhere. As I close
out all my podcasts or whever Iwant to do, just take a nice
(31:00):
deep breath, roll those shoulders back, go out there, and simply enjoy
every moment until next time. Mmhmmm
Welcome everyone to the Women Excelling EverywherePodcast. I am your host, Julie
Anderson, and I am here withan amazing Emma Weaver. Emma, welcome
to the Women Excelling Everywhere Podcast.Oh thank you so much. I am
delighted to be here this evening.I love it. Emma is tying in
(00:29):
from all the way over from inIreland and I'm here in California, so
we're playing with two different time zones. But this is another special edition of
this podcast, and the reason whyit's special is because this is connected.
Emma is another one of our amazingco authors in our collaborative book, Women
(00:49):
Excelling Everywhere What defines their passion?Discover what defines their passion and success.
And I am just blown away byall of the contributors and all of the
synergy and all of the energy thatwe all have and the powerful message that
we are bringing out to the world. But let me read you a little
(01:11):
bit about her bio and then we'llget to know the real Emma. So.
Emma Weaver is a trailblazer in thefield of mental health and well being
and the visionary founder of behind MentalWealth International, with an unwavering dedication.
Emma is on a mission to transformworkplaces, creating culture of mental health and
(01:34):
well being excellence through her signature toolboxtalks, mental health, first aid and
workshops. Drawing from an impressive twentythree year experience in the mental health and
wellbeing sector, Emma's expertise has touchedcountless lives. Her journey is undiscovered by
underscored by her deep seated purpose ofa force that propels her to share the
(01:59):
hope and expertise through both her personaland professional endeavors she has. She had
her debut novel called The Blue Line, which is achieving international bestseller status along
with our Women Excelling Everywhere book.She her latest book is Mental Wealth,
further solidifies her reputation as an awardwinning author, tapping into her expertise insights
(02:23):
into mental health and wellbeing. Soonce again, Emma, Welcome, Welcome,
Welcome to the Women Excelling Everywhere Podcast. Yay gosh, that sides terribly
as if I've achieved so much.When you hear sobody say it a pacty,
I'm like, oh gosh, reading, Yeah, what's amazing, amazing,
It's wonderful and it's so it's ait's a topic that's very that I'm
(02:45):
very passionate about. One of theone of the programs that I bring into
corporate is corporate well being. Right. She goes everywhere from having plans in
your environment to taking care of themental health of the workers by the way
you interact with them and all in, all on, all in, So
it's just it's it's again, there'ssuch a synergy in this book which has
(03:05):
me so wonderfully excited. But letme let me just kind of step step,
take a step back and ask you. I mean, this is a
You've done amazing work. You're You'veauthored several books, but let's get to
why you got to this point,Like, tell us a little bit about
your background, Emma, who?Who? Who is Emma? And what
(03:28):
led you to go into this fieldthat you're working in. Thank you?
Oh gosh. And so I ama mom of three. I have three
wonderful children, and my eldest istwenty eight, and then I have a
sixteen year old and a seven yearold. So I am absolutely delighted that
there's such a huge gap between thembecause that allows me to continue doing the
(03:51):
things that I do. And obviouslyI was a young mom, and I
was certainly one of the first thingsthat came to life that again, and
I've mentioned this even in the chapterin the book. It's never a straight
line. There's always different things,but it's how you respond and deal with
whatever it is that's going on inyour life. And it definitely changed me
(04:11):
as a person. And I knowpeople say this all the time, but
having my first daughter made me whoI am. I genuinely would not be
them away whether you were talking totoday, had I not have had it.
She shaped a beautiful future for meand we kind of grew together.
So whenever obviously became a young mom, I went back to college after having
(04:33):
her and started on a it's likea social work course and one of my
first placements was in a day supportcenter for adults with mental health issues,
and some of them mental health conditions, just depending what was going on.
And when I walked into the room, I realized I knew a lot of
(04:54):
people in the room. I didnot know these people had mental health issues.
And a bear in mind, thisis like twenty five years ago that
had mental health and the stigma andthe thought process around it was the moment
you were diagnosed or it was recognizedtod to mental health issue. It was
nearly like stop everything you are onwell, these people were living as normal
(05:19):
enough lives as they could in thecommunity. They had families, they drove
cars, they had jobs. Theywere the bank managers, the bus drivers,
the people you met in the shop. And I remember, even at
that young age, I'm going tosay young age because you know, I'll
aw that twenty five years did it. I realized that it was the support
(05:40):
within the community. So the supportfor those within their own community was allowing
them to live a fulfilled life intheir communities. And it just that feeling
never left me. So that's reallywhat drove me. Then, I suppose
in the career of supporting people withmental health issues in their communities. So
(06:01):
I obviously graduated. I actually graduatedon September the eleven, once of the
day, that twenty half last day. I graduated and built a career around
the essence of the importance of supportingpeople in their own environments as much as
possible, and then I managed themental health services all across different trust areas
(06:24):
here in the North of Ireland andreally set the foundation in terms of all
that experience, the knowledge, engagingand working with different teams understanding different impacts
of mental health trends. Because theworld's a different place now than what it
was that I was twenty five,Like I mean, I don't even think
I am mobile phone, you know, so the war is a complete different
(06:46):
place. And that really formed thebasis of my understand And then about three
and a half years ago I leftthat job and founded Mental Wealth International.
And again it was because much asthere's amazing workout there, some of it's
there's a lot of gaps and servicesand I really believe we need that is
(07:08):
quite important to receive the support withinyou know, within your environment, within
your community, but in a timelymanner. I think timely is very very
important. And now with Mental WealthInternational, that's what I do. I
we train people to be mental healthforce data so in that moment of need,
there's somebody there to support you inthat moment. So that's really what's
(07:30):
driving Mental Wealth International forward. Ilove that. It's interesting that a couple
other things. So you say thatyou graduated on nine to eleven. I
one of the certificates that I holdis on Psychological first Aid, which is
kind of what you're talking about helpingpeople in that moment that they need it,
and that that whole entire program cameout of the need that was presented
(07:58):
in that of that tragedy because theyfound that, you know, there was
all the triaging of the physical youknow, obviously physical injuries, but they
were sending in as the days wenton and the search went on and all
they were sending in psychotherapists to goin and help with the first aid to
(08:20):
the people mentally, which I thinkhad really missed in the past. So
and I know you mentioned that aswell. You know, the two work
in corporates and things got but evento have mental health for staters or the
same as you're saying, psychological firsdate in that moment, the outcome can
(08:43):
be so much more better if weare supported in our moment of need.
I think it's and in an environmentthat's familiar to us, and it's been
proven. There's a lot of researcharound it, but certainly even from people
that I have worked with over thelast few years, it does you know,
it creates a huge impact. Yeah, totally. And I think part
(09:03):
of it is it it's almost likecatching it before it explodes, Yes,
because we have a tendency as humanbeings, don't we too, We have
that emotional need and then the timepasses and we start to go compartmentalize it
or we put it back here inour head and we're like, oh,
(09:26):
I'm okay, I don't need thehelp anymore. When in actuality, you're
still in that vulnerable position. You'rejust starting to mask it better, and
the prey better is on even thepeople that you're surrounded with every day and
sometimes not all the time. Ijust want to say, but sometimes family
are very close and they're very emotionallyattached, so it's maybe it's somebody outside
(09:48):
of that that you trust, thatcould be that one person and that like
we quite often tell people it's goodto talk, it is good to talk.
We need to talk. Reach outif you need support. Let me
tell you from a personal and professionalyou know background, the hardest thing to
do sometimes is to reach out forhelp. So if you have the right
(10:11):
people around you that maybe are trainedor that no one off about you to
see a difference or change in yourpersonality or what's going on, somebody reaching
in, yeah is what's needed.As well as expecting people who are terribly
on will to reach out for supportif we're in enough kind of you know
(10:31):
confidence and you know competence to goforward to reach into people and say,
look, I've noticed you're just notat yourself, or your a bit quiet,
or you've been coming in late.Is everything all right? Yeah?
Yeah, Then that's a wonderful pointin the leadership programs that I lead,
and I'm sure it's very similar withwhat you do in training leaders. Even
(10:52):
if they aren't the one that isequipped with the how do you help,
they're the ones who are going tonotice the most because they're the ones that
interact with them as they're leading themon the job. So it's it's incredibly
important I think, to really toemphasize that in leadership training that even if
(11:13):
you don't have the training psychologically tomanage that, simply asking those those basic
questions and then going and making thatconnect and that connection for them to the
person or the team within the organizationthat handles the or that deals with the
(11:33):
mental health wellness or I love whatyou say, mental wealth, right,
But being able to make those connectionsthat's so crucial and teammates as well,
you know, the person's say,yeah, the person sitting next to but
it can't be anybody. I'm reallytrying to get us to go. There
is and amy is a book andI have it here. It's it's called
(11:54):
Bowling Alone by Robert Pittman. It'sactually like it's I mean, it's a
huge book and it was a stunresearch of American society in terms of community
and how you kind of lost theart. But it's not really that we've
lost the art of community. Itjust looks a little bit different now than
what it did years ago. Especiallyand I'm going to say with women maybe
(12:16):
excelling in their dreams and their goalsand in excellence and you know, rules
of change. So community sometimes looksa little bit different. And it might
be the workplace, or it mightbe a group that you go to.
It's not necessarily your neighbors or familyliving close by anymore. But we certainly
can create it and in whatever thatlooks like. But be intent and do
(12:39):
it in an intentional way and knowyou know what you need as well.
Yeah, that's beautiful, absolutely beautiful, so important and removing that stigma,
you know, taking that away.Look, we're we're all, we all
on some level. It's just inthe world we live in. We are
(13:00):
touched on some level with mental healthchallenges, right, everybody, everybody is,
because that's just the world world thatwe have. The thing about women,
because it's quite up that we're doingthis the savening because on Saturday evening
I was out at a female eventit's called a Ladies Night, and I
was doing a talk for women.So it was all women in the room.
(13:22):
And you know what, there's nothingas amazing as the energy when you
get a room full of women thatare just allowing themselves to be in the
moment and take a couple of hoursout of everything else that's expected. And
one of the things that I talkabout and hopefully you'd agree, is we're
not very good at saying no tothings. We are primary caregivers, so
(13:43):
everyone else gets in the way.So one of the things that I like
to even create a conversation around isno is a full sentence. And as
women were like no, because butmaybe no just no that's not for me
or no not right now. Justwe need to get better at that in
terms of our way all being oreven as women in business or you know,
(14:05):
really allowing us to focus on whatwe need to do, and I'm
saying no without carrying the way lita bit of guilt or whatever it is
round it very good points, uh, And sometimes it's it's not no permanently,
it's no right now, it's justa yeah, it's just I need
(14:26):
to. I need I can't.I can't give my all to this position
or to this project, or tothis thing because I have to take care
of something here, right. Andit's so that sometimes I think helps women
reframe the is instead of taking itas a negative thing. Well, I
don't want to let people down.I don't want to you know, they
(14:48):
need me or I need to dothis, or it's my kids, or
it's my husband, or it's myyou know, the people that I love
in the community or the family orwhatever. And it's you're actually doing them
a disservice if you take it onwhen you're not fully capable of managing it.
So it's yeah, it's a beautifulsentiment now driving you do you do
(15:11):
you think there was a pivotal pointin your life because you said that for
many years you were working in thatcorporate sector, working for someone else,
and for the last three years you'vebeen doing this with them with you established
the Mental Wealth Society. Well,I'm sorry, what's the full name again,
Matt International, That's what it is. Do you feel that there might
have been or was there a pivotalpoint or a I call them you know,
(15:37):
aha moment or just a just athing that happened that made you go,
you know what, I'm done withthis, with with this, and
I want to go do this.So along with me management mental health services
I was always involved with and soI find it an adult Daity hit D
charity and I would have worked alot with young moms to get them back
(16:00):
into education and get childcare. SoI was always doing something entrepreneurial just for
one of a better world along withthe job that I was doing, and
I do remember so those skills Ifelt were transferable, so whenever I was
if we picture this, so Ihad offices in all different places because I
(16:21):
managed different teams across the Western Trustin terms of mental health, so some
of it was addiction, some ofthese mental health was actually in older people's
daycare service. So it was alot of different teams that I managed.
So I had offices in all thedifferent places. So there was one day.
So if you became one, well, just say you became one,
well, a family member might sayto you, you need to go and
(16:45):
see the doctor. You go tothe doctor, they'd refer you to the
community mental health team. The communitymental health team would refer you a key
worker, and then they might referyou to the service that I was managed,
and to which I would get apiece of paper telling me about you,
and I would invite you in tohave a talk. I was in
and it was this lady's first timecoming in. She was probably in her
mid fifties, very quiet of herself, lovely, pleasant woman, but was
(17:08):
just done. She was just done. So we were sitting talking away.
This lady had reared a family,and she had been married. She held
a job. I think it mighthave even been a nurse, and I'm
not too sure, but she'd helda job all her life. And there
was a death in the family.Okay, so somebody very close to her
(17:29):
had died, to which then shebecame, you know, quite low mood,
became quite unwell of herself, andnobody could pinpoint it. She had
went back to work. It wasn'tworking. She'd went to her GP potentially
medication, and then we waited twoyears to be on a wait list for
two years from the GP to madea mental health team before she even got
(17:52):
a key worker, before she waseven referred to me. So by the
time she was sitting in front ofme, she lost her job, her
marriage was had ended, her marriagehad ended, and her whole world had
fell apart and I'm not opening it. In that moment, that was my
AHA moment. I realized if somebodyat work or somebody had had the insight
(18:15):
or confidence to recognize this lady wasgrieving, she needed counselance, she needed
grief support. In that moment,I believe her life could have been a
lot different. And that's what mademe think, no, now that I
can't on see this, now Ineed to do something about it. So
(18:36):
I left and now I create mentalhealth for staters and I do workshops and
two box SOPs in I go outin the places. I have a team
of people as well. It's notjust make a team of people that do
it. We go out into placesand deliver this. Instead of expecting people
to come to us to a workshopthat we're facilitating, HR or heading safety
officer or someone we contact them,and we go out in workplaces and deliver
(19:00):
this support so people feel that they'renot left on their own or at least
no where to sign post people toin the moment, because that lady,
I get, like I was,if you don't know, you don't know,
it's those things. If you don'tknow, you don't know. I
just was very clearly able to seethis lady was grieving and if you had
got the grief support at that initialstage, I believe obviously I don't know,
(19:23):
it was my belief in that moment, things would have been different for
her. Yeah, so true,And that's there's such a big message behind
that story. Obviously it changed thecourse of your career. But for any
of us, you know, we'rehearing a lot more about this. A
lot of times we don't ask doyou need something? We don't ask are
(19:48):
you okay, because we don't feelcapable of doing anything. And I've told
people over and over again, doyou realize that probably seventy five percent?
And please don't anyone listening. Ifyou are under the care of a physician
or a psychiatrist or a psychotherapist,by all means, continue go. Please
do not take anything I'm saying hereor anything emassing as a way to change
(20:14):
what you're doing, or medications oranything. But I really feel that the
reality is when you are a therapistor you are in that position, seventy
five percent of your job is justlistening. It's just being there, just
being a person that somebody can openup to. And if you don't have
(20:36):
the skill set to give the advice, you don't feel that's okay, just
listen and then maybe you can helpmake those connections. And I think that's
a powerful can have such a powerfulimpact, And you're right, it makes
you wonder how many individuals had theyhad had they had the support in the
moment. In the moment, Yeah, so that's wonderful, that's so beautifully.
(21:00):
We just need to hold space foreach other sometimes and and I'd say
quite often, you don't have tohave all of the answers or any of
the answers to just hold space andfind where they need to go. But
in the moment, don't because alot of people are afraid to ask how
are you because they're afraid of theanswer, because they're like, I got
(21:22):
but you don't need to do Maybeyou don't need to listen. Yeah,
yeah, I just need to listen. Poor a cup of tea and just
listen and then take action then andsay, you know, do I need
to ring someone else? Like herewe have lifeline the Samartans. You know,
don't leave, don't ever just leaveit there or at least have a
(21:44):
right less catch up again same timetomorrow, always have something afterwards, but
just to hold the space because youjust never know. And but again,
if people don't feel confident and competentabout it, that's where we come in
to say that, well, we'llsupport you to to have this skills and
the tools to be able to havethose conversations, to know where to sign
post people to, because it's notfair expecting people to know either, I
(22:08):
right, because there's like you said, you shared the book, you should
you know, we could show ourbookshelves and our files of all the training
that we have and it's it's weget it, we get it. So
that's but knowing that you have resourcesout there and just educating some it was
some And that's why I'm glad youasked that question because it was in that
(22:30):
moment it was some leap of faithto Dick to leave that job and then
just go forward. But it genuinelyand I hadn't anticipated it, but it
was genuinely. I just couldn't nonesee it and to say, you know,
find your passion and do it purposelyor do it with purpose, and
that's kind of that's what happened.That's what happened. I just kind of
(22:53):
springboarded, and obviously I had allthe connections and contacts and I just I
got to work, got to work. Yep, yep, that's what it
takes. I love it. Sucha great story. Now, Emma,
when you were approached with the ideaof this book, women excelling everywhere?
(23:14):
What did you what attracted you tothat? Well, the fact that it
was all women always appears to bein terms of there's always a common theme,
there's always alignment. And I think, or I believe, that a
book is a beautiful way to allowwomen to be heard and also to reach
(23:36):
people. You know, a bookis something that you can hold and have
with you all the time and liftand take what you need from it in
that moment. And to all thewomen out there in the world that are
going to read this book, failthis book, see themselves in the book
being part of that. It's anhonor and it's something really special and I
(23:59):
believe, hopefully i'd imagine you dotoo. Everybody has a story to tell
and to have the privilege to havea chapter in a book on women excel
and everywhere, to even give peoplea bit of an understanding and hope I'm
background as to how it comes aboutand what it takes and if I can
give any tips or insight into differentthings. It's truly an honor and on
(24:25):
a personal level, a little bitof a selfish level, it remains me
and it heals me and it bringsme back, and having the privilege to
share it is a beautiful feeling aswell. And I mean, who doesn't
want to excel? What woman youknow that has a bit of a vision
and a dream? And that reallycaught me. Yeah, and I'd love
you know, you made the commentearlier in the conversation about your daughter and
(24:48):
how that changed you, and youknow, being a parent changes us and
there are so that's kind of forme. That was like the perfect or
the purpose of the book was helpingwomen excel wherever they're at. So when
I say everywhere, it's really whereverthey're at. It doesn't mean in your
career, it doesn't mean in yourentrepreneurial endeavor. It can be in your
(25:11):
personal growth. It can be inyour parenting, it can be in your
relationship with a significant other. Likeit's just let's just lift and help everything
sell. Yeah, and like Iactually have. I've mentioned some of that
in my chapter, and like it'slovely to be able to I suppose free,
and like what I would have beenwhenever I had my daughter so young,
(25:32):
Excelling as a mother was what wasreally important to me then, and
then as she got older, excellingthen in educating myself to get us out
of poverty, because we were sogetting an education along with my daughter to
give us a better life. Youknow, So as each chapter on folds
(25:52):
in your life, you excel insomething different. And that's the beauty of
having all the co authors common fromall different backgrounds and ideas of what it
is and allowing that right into theworld. It's an amazing thing to do.
I love it. And your chapteris titled success defined on your terms.
So give us just a little Imean you kind of just did,
(26:15):
but give us a little teaser onwhat your chapter is about. And what
the readers are going to experience,we're going to So I do frame it
as I said, I frame itfrom I suppose where I came from and
some of the challenges that I maybe faced in my life that a lot
of people might be able to resonatewith. And certainly the odds were stacked
(26:36):
against us on those early days.So mindset is huge in terms of that
there. But also success on yourterms means to me. You know,
quite often, you know, peoplethink success is one thing, it's a
certain thing, so whether it's moneyin the bank, whether it's having ten
houses, whether it's driving a car, But sometimes it is freedom and choices,
(27:00):
the freedom to make the choices whateveryou choose to do in your life.
So success is personal to everybody.But it's really important to know what
success means to you, what yourvalues and goals are, and that's what
you work towards achieving. On their'swhere the success lives in your life.
I love that. I love that, and I can't wait to see the
(27:22):
reviews coming in because the messages inthe book are so great and that's such
a powerful message. You know,we have to get a really internally identify
what do we want in success becauseI was the same way as you.
You know, when I became amom. I homeschooled my kids, and
I always told people, and tothis day, if there was anything written
(27:42):
on my epiteph you know that Iwould want it to be I wouldn't want
it to be this long list ofcertifications that I've gotten are the years of
education. It would be she wasa great mom. Like, that's what
I want. And so during thattime, my kids are all in their
thirties and so they have their ownfamilies and I still am trying to be
(28:03):
a great mom to them. Butthat's you know, during those years,
I just wanted to be successful inthat, not in a career or not
in a And now I'm I'm actuallypushing more to be more successful in my
relationship with my husband. We've beenmarried for thirty seven years, but for
the first thirty of them, wewere just mom and dad. Do you
see how to changes? So youcan? You have to know what it
(28:26):
is you're striving for or what theirpriority is to detained. So that's why
I say success it's still personal,So you need you get to choose what
success means to you, not tosay it you get to choose Yes,
absolutely, I love it. Youknow what, this has been a wonderful
conversation, Emma, and I soappreciate your contribution to the book. I
(28:48):
am very excited about the future thingsthat we're going to be doing. We're
going to have a summit in afew weeks and it's just going to be
amazing. We're going to continue thisentire movement of helping women excel everywhere,
wherever, the at and whatever theyneed. So I love that, and
mental health and mental wealth is soimportant part of that equation. Right,
So, thank you so much forbeing a part of the book and for
(29:11):
being on the podcast today. Thepleasure is all mine. I can assure
you. Thank you so much,absolutely, all right, And for everyone
listening, be sure to check outthe book. It is available on digital
right now. Is you can goto Amazon. Will be sure to put
in the links or in the shownotes the links for the digital version,
(29:32):
and as of March eighth, youwill be able to order the paperback as
well. It is available in manydifferent countries, so be sure to check
that out. You'll be able toread fifteen I tell people, it's not
just fifteen stories It's fifteen stories withmessages, with lessons, with tips,
and it's going to resonate one ofthose, if not more, is going
(29:52):
to resonate with each of the peoplewho read it. So check that out.
If you have thoughts regarding this podcast, have thoughts and ideas or people
you would like to see interviewed onthe Women Excelling Everywhere, be sure to
send us an email at info atWomen Excelling Everywhere dot com. Be watching
over the next few weeks because wewill continue to drop these podcasts as I
(30:14):
interview all of the contributors to thisamazing book that is out now, and
you'll get to meet them all,see their faces, put a face to
that name, and it'll be wonderful, wonderful to connect with each of them.
We'll also have all the ways thatyou can connect with Emma you will
find in the book as well asin the show notes. We also,
of course, have launched our privatemembership community, Women Excelling Everywhere, that
(30:38):
is just about that is to helpyou excel wherever you're at, so be
sure to check that out. WomenExcelling Everywhere dot Com will have the link
to that private Women Excelling Everywhere successcollective, all right, And for now
that wraps up this particular episode ofthe Women Excelling Everywhere. As I close
out all my podcasts or whever Iwant to do, just take a nice
(31:00):
deep breath, roll those shoulders back, go out there, and simply enjoy
every moment until next time. Mmhmmm
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Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
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If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.