Really Useful Conversations

In this episode we talk about why a community approach to this issue is needed. People may be disclosing fragments of information to many different people, services and agencies - so this is not just a "domestic abuse practitioner" issue - far from it.

The Dual Risk Framework covers 3 levels - from the GP Receptionise who might recognise an issue, to the Police Officer who has been called out to an incident, as well as the GP or ID...

What does suicide risk actually look like? The answer may not be what you expect.

In this episode, Andrea Newton challenges many of the assumptions we hold about suicidal distress, exploring why people can appear to be coping while quietly carrying an overwhelming burden. She discusses functional freeze, the subtle signs that can easily be overlooked, and how domestic abuse and coercive control can hide in plain sight.

Through a pr...

We know that were coercive controlling behaviour is present, the risk of suicide is higher and in this episode we explore a little more about why that might be. 

Understanding coercive control through a suicide prevention lens is important, as when we think about domestic abuse, it's easy to focus on individual incidents. But coercive control is different. It's a sustained pattern of intimidation, isolation and control that ca...

In this first episode of this mini series, where we are focussing on the links between suicide risk and domestic abuse, and more importantly how to reduce those risks, we talk about the issue as it stands. 

We are going to consider how human lives are messy and how as people, we don't fit neatly into boxes, and how a person experience domestic abuse or coercive controlling behaviour may develop poor mental health and even suic...

I am not about to tell you how to become a domestic goddess, create more To Do lists or sell the benefit of multi-tasking or cooking in advance ..

This episode is especially for busy working midlife women who are Googling "Am I burned out or is it just December?" and wondering why their stress is through the roof when they can normally just swing through the season and jingle all the way!

How do I protect my sanity? What will help ...

Stress is costing UK businesses an estimated £28 billion every year, yet too many organisations still treat wellbeing as a tick-box exercise. In this episode of Really Useful Conversations, we give a nod to "International Stress Awareness Week" where the theme for 20235 is "Optimising Employee Wellbeing through Strategic ...

The final episode for the mini series, supporting Menopause Awareness Month ...

So what happens next? In this no-nonsense episode, we recap the Six Lifestyle Levers that help midlife women support mental health during the menopuase chapter, and as Awareness Month closes, let's hope that the subject is not put back in the drawer until this time next year! 

Le...

The conversations we have with ourselves are often the most important, so telling yourself that "I should be coping better," and internally beating yourself up,  whilst quietly carrying the mental load of work, ageing parents, teenagers, menopause symptoms, and a house that never seems to stay tidy is just not fair. But so often women don't ask for help. We don't want to be a burden. We tell...

When we talk about 'environment', most people think about cluttered kitchens, noisy offices or never-ending WhatsApp notifications, and yes, they can make a difference - but in midlife and menopause, your internal environment matters just as much.

Thinking about your gut health, blood sugar, hormones, sleep patterns, and th...

Feeling disconnected, lonely, or like nobody really gets what you're going through?

You're not imagining it - midlife and menopause can quietly shrink your world. Between work pressures, family demands, and hormonal changes that impact confidence and mood, it's easy to drift into isolation.

It might be that you are busy, just...

Sleep and Menopause – One of the most frequently raised concerns 

(This is Episode 3 and is part of the 6 Lifestyle Levers: Small Shifts, Big Impact mini-series)

If you are tired but cannot switch off, wide awake at 3am, or constantly running on adrenaline, this episode is for...

If you have been feeling low, sluggish, or struggling with sleep during menopause, this episode will help you understand why movement really is medicine for the mind.

In Episode 2 of my mini-series, 6 Lifestyle Levers: Small Shifts, Big Impact, we look at how physical activity supports mental health, hormone balance, and em...

If you've been feeling flat, foggy, or wired but tired, it might not just be stress or perimenopause. It could be what, and how, you are feeding your brain during this chapter.

In this first episode of my new mini-series, 6 Lifestyle Levers: Small Shifts, Big Impact, we focus on Nourish: how nutrition shapes mood, energy, and emotional balance during menopause.

Y...

October hosts both World Mental Health Day and Menopause Awareness Day and is indeed Menopause Awareness Month. The theme this year is Lifestyle Medicine and so I am focussing in this podcast episode on the impact that menopause can have on our mental health, and sharing a basic understanding of what is going on that is causing the low mood, anxiety, brain fog and other cognitive and mental health challenges that some women experie...

In the last episode, recorded for World Suicide Prevention Day, I spoke specifically about the risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviours for midlife women, given the statistics show that the most female deaths by suicide tend to occur in midlife. I promised that I would follow up to talk about how when navigating perimenopause we might be at more risk and more importantly, what we might do to keep ourselves safe. 

As a qualifie...

This week is World Suicide Prevention Day and hopefully there will be lots of media coverage in encouraging a "Change in the Narrative" - to make conversations about this issue more commonplace. This in turn helps to reduce the stigma and smash the silence and makes it easier for people to ask for help. 

You may have seen media coverage in recent times talking about the high number of male suicide deaths and men's mental healt...

*This episode talks about suicide and I hope will be useful to women, their friends, family, support network AND their employer*

The coronor confirmed that the lady had indeed taken her own life, following perimenopause then menopause causing her mental health condition to have worsened - and tragically this situation is more common than you might think. 

Often people think of menopause symptoms as just the hot flushes or nigh...

Yesterday I received the devastating news of the loss of an incredible woman - strong, confident, bold, kind, wise, caring and funny as heck! I thought she was invincible and when she got her cancer diagnosis I would have bet my house on her surviving. 

Yesterday made me realise that tomorrow is not guaranteed. I know we say it all the time that life is too short but sometimes when you lose someone who really was so amazing, y...

If you have ever had the experience where your mind just will not switch off - perhaps going to bed and you struggle to sleep, maybe you sit down for a rest and your inner voice reminds you of all the things you SHOULD be doing, when relaxation is almost impossible as you just cannot disconnect ... this episode is for you. 

You are doing all the things that those self-care folks tell you to do - bedtime routine, switching off ...