Ordinary People, Extraordinary Connections Podcast

This is the final episode of Season 2 (sob!). We thought it timely to sum up some of the fantastic mental health support and resources available to all of us.Ever wondered what it might be like to call Lifeline? In this episode we go through a sample call and talk about what it’s like to call them for some support. Did you know you can call them and put them on speaker to help you talk to a friend who might need some support? This is a terrific idea if you are unsure of how to help them otherwise. We talk about how this works in this episode.We also talk about resources you can tap into if you’d like to do some training tolearn how to help others in need. Check out: SafeTalk https://www.livingworks.com.au/programs/safetalk/ Assist https://www.livingworks.com.au/programs/asist/ Mental Health First Aid https://mhfa.com.au/ We talk about mental health resource specifically for the small business sector. Check out: New Access: https://www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support/newaccess-mental-health-coaching/newaccess-fo

This week we’re talking about power at work. Not the Dr Evil kind of power but rolethat personal power plays in working well. Leanne talks about what happens to helpemployees to enjoy work and then looks at how that might work for micro-businessowners.“The more equal I feel I am with others the less stress and anxiety I will feel”, Leannesays.We talk about identifying the key indicators in your business that make you feelpowerful and not dependent on others. This is a very new and innovative way to lookat stress management in a micro-business or sole-trader workplace.Remember, this podcast is not a medical or psychological service. If you need urgentsupport please contact any of the services listed below:Lifeline: 13 11 14Beyond Blue: 1300 22 46 36Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 65 94 67See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Probably the best episode we have produced all season. This one is not to bemissed because we talk about a very powerful way to reduce stress, reduceimpulsive responses when we feel hurt and become mindful of our triggers in life.This is a great discussion about gap-hunting. Recognising when we feel triggered,taking a moment to tell ourselves why it is happening and then use our inner-wisdomto choose the most appropriate response at the time. Gap-hunting is a process wecan all learn and it’s a self-loving tool that gets easier to do with practice.John shares some wonderful tips on how you can become a gap-hunter, and theimportance of being kind to yourself through the process.Leanne talked about the work of Viktor Frankl and his book – ‘Man’s Search forMeaning’, you can order it from www.constantreader.com.au . She also talked aboutthe work of Dr Libby Weaver – www.drlibby.com Remember, this podcast is not a medical or psychological service. If you need urgentsupport please contact any of the services listed

“Be the energy you want to bring into the room.” Jill Bolte-Taylor.Okay…this week we ramble a bit… we’re chatting about positivity. We talk aboutwhat it might be and why we often miss it in a day. We look at breaking old habitualthinking and overcoming negativity bias. We can often miss the positive when webecome so used to facing the negative. Worse still – we can externalize the blamefor being negative when we’re only one thought away from change.We discuss how to increase positivity in your day (without going overboard andhaving it become a toxic trait!). Of course, we find the time to have a bit of a laughalong the way too. Remember, this podcast is not a medical or psychological service. If you need urgentsupport please contact any of the services listed below:Lifeline: 13 11 14Beyond Blue: 1300 22 46 36Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 65 94 67See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week is HUGE! We cover the secret to reducing stress when you are a smallbusiness owner and it’s got nothing to do with yoga, fruit bowls, lavender or walks.The week we’re talking about the ultimate method to bust stress at work. It’s allabout the practical and applied elements of running and owning a small business.We’re not afraid to go there. We get down and dirty and honest.Forget mission statements. Forget developing products. Forget hiring staff. They are all the easy bits of business ownership. Roll up your sleeves and join us as we talk about how selling your most profitable product to your most profitable customer is the best way to reduce stress at work.If you can do that you’ll sleep better at night. Once again, we also talk about the FREE resources out there to help you run yourbusiness or get support when you need it. This includes: New Access For Small Business Owners:https://www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support/newaccess-mental-health-coaching/newaccess-for-small-business-owners Small Busines

We start the week continuing our conversation from Episode 6 – the importance ofvalue alignment at work.We’re also talking about ‘wisdom’ this week. What makes us wise? Why is itimportant to remember your wisdom at work? It’s important use what we’ve learnedas we move forward. Sometimes this is forgotten if we’re stuck in old habits or waysof thinking that are so familiar from years gone by.John talks about how confidence, self-belief or stress can affect our memory of beingwise and feeling able to make new, informed choices. Leanne plods on with agalloping story about her horse days.Finally, we discuss the advantages we have in micro-business when it comes tocorporate memory. Remembering how we have dealt with challenges in the past canhelp us be more resilient for future situations. Remember, this podcast is not a medical or psychological service. If you need urgentsupport please contact any of the services listed below:Lifeline: 13 11 14Beyond Blue: 1300 22 46 36Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 65 94 67See

This week we’re talking about why small business owners hate writing down plans.We all know they are important but when it comes to actually committing to plans onpaper, many of us hate the process. Why? Research shows that business ownerswho plan their growth are less stressed and more successful. But we still hate doingit! This week we talk about why that might be the case.We talk about how important it is to align personal values to business values. Weshare how planning helps to articulate your intentions but this doesn’t have to bepublic, you can keep plans private and change them at any time. John shares hisexperience of keeping things private…We refer back to our goal setting episode in Season 1. If you want to check it out, itwas Episode 22. Remember, this podcast is not a medical or psychological service. If you need urgentsupport please contact any of the services listed below:Lifeline: 13 11 14Beyond Blue: 1300 22 46 36Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 65 94 67See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy i

This week we’re talking about relationships. We’re also talking about pineapples andwhy they can be so important in relationships. Often it’s partners or family who arethe closest people to a micro-business owner and they’re the ones supporting thatperson in their micro-business. This makes personal relationships an important partof micro-business success.John talks about relationship counselling and what that might look like when seeing acounsellor. We also talk about how relationship counselling can be an excellentbusiness investment.If you’d like to know more about counselling and the relationship process, followJohn on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. The links to all platforms are on hiswebsite listed below. John Dimond Counsellinghttps://johndimond.com.au/ Remember, this podcast is not a medical or psychological service. If you need urgentsupport please contact any of the services listed below:Lifeline: 13 11 14Beyond Blue: 1300 22 46 36Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 65 94 67See omnystudio.com/listener

This week we’re talking about how important connections are to the mental health ofsmall business owners. Meeting other business owners, connecting with others andlearning from one another all help to reduce stress that is inevitable when you own asmall business.Importantly, Leanne and John talk about the different type of networking groups,from unstructured meet-ups to more formal breakfast or membership groups. There’soften something for everyone and to suit your networking style.This week, stick around for a bit of a laugh after the credits stop! Remember, this podcast is not a medical or psychological service. If you need urgentsupport please contact any of the services listed below:Lifeline: 13 11 14Beyond Blue: 1300 22 46 36Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 65 94 67See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week we’re following on from our talk about honesty and looking at how we can make honest conversations easier using a client management process.Client management covers all the things we need to do to work with a customer, and the time frames needed to get the job done. This might sound a long way away from mental health at work but in fact, the research showed that business owners who have a shared client process are likely to be less stressed than those who do not. We talk about having a transparent system and learning how to communicate well with the client. Putting a process in place can be a powerful business tool for micro-business owners. Here are some of the resources referenced in this episode: Past Podcast Episodes (Season 1)Episode 11 Mindfulness (Finding the Gap)Client Management Platformshttps://basecamp.com/https://trello.com/Accounting Softwarehttps://www.xero.com/au/Templateshttps://www.canva.com/https://business.gov.au/ Remember, this podcast is not a medical or psychological service. I

This week we’re talking about honesty. It’s the first step to feeling powerful in business. In fact, it’s the first step in harnessing life power too.We’re looking at the reality of business ownership in Australia. For example, did you know that about 30% of all businesses in Australia earn less than $50K per annum?A further 30% (approx.) earn between $50K and $200K per annum. So, if you’refeeling like you’re not achieving compared to others – think again! We just don’tshare this information often enough to normalize the reality of business ownership.This week we talk about a few different resources. Check them out if you want toverify the stats Leanne talks about, or you want to seek out some assistance withyour business. Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsmanhttps://www.asbfeo.gov.au/State Small Business Commissionshttps://www.smallbusiness.nsw.gov.au/https://www.vsbc.vic.gov.au/https://qsbc.qld.gov.au/https://www.smallbusiness.wa.gov.au/https://business.sa.gov.au/https://www.stategrowth.

We’re excited to be back for a new season of Fortitude at Work. It’s good to be backwith our usual banter about all things related to building personal fortitude. Leanneupdates us on her PhD research and John shares details about his new counsellingservice. Oh, and there’s a few laughs along the way!This season we’re going to focus on personal power. What does it mean to you?How do we get more of it? Why does it feel wrong to talk about being powerful?Today’s episode looks at how personal power is linked to our mental wellbeing.You can listen to each episode on your favourite podcast platform, or, if you can’t getenough of Leanne and John you can watch each episode on their YouTube channels– the links are on their websites.There are some terrific small business mental health support services available.Check out:New Access for Small Business Ownershttps://www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support/newaccess-mental-health-coaching/newaccess-for-small-business-ownersAhead for Businesshttps://aheadforbusiness.org.au/Heads

Do you remember Goose from Top Gun? He was Maverick's wingman. Today we talk about how we all need a wingman in our life - or a wingwoman... or a wingperson! It's important to have someone who can provide us with unconditional positive regard when we just need someone to talk to. John and I discuss their role, how to find a wingperson and what to do when you have one. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

It's a term that's overused nowadays, but a life skill that is so important. This week we talk about having gratitude - what it is, how to cultivate it and why it's important. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

This episode is a doozy! 20 self-care hacks that you can try when you never have the time to spend on yourself. These are easy and fun ideas to take some time-out without needing to go sit on a deserted island. A great episode!

A universal emotion that we will all experience at some time in life is grief. This may be due to the loss of a loved one, loss of identity, loss of lifestyle - there are lots of reason we may experience sadness in life. In this episode we talk about what grief is, how you can connect with someone who may be experiencing a time of grief and what you can do if you yourself are feeling sad. This is a valuable discussion for anyone who wants to connect with someone on a deeper level but is unsure how to approach it. 

Want to be an effective communicator? You need one essential element - the ability to listen with unconditional positive regard. In this episode we talk about what this is, what it looks like and how you can practice it.  This is a great episode for small business owners who want to improve their relationships with staff and customers. It's also fabulous for parents, friends, and work colleagues. Hmmmm.... sounds like it's worthwhile for everyone!

We all need them in some form. We all need to feel connected, like we are part of something. In fact, connections are critical for our ongoing wellbeing. This podcast explores how to make them and what makes relationships work. We discuss communication, talking, listening and connecting. This is a topic we can all related to.

This week we have a very insightful guest joining us for a chat. Josh Osborne owns videography company - Joos Productions. I worked with Josh when establishing my new online presence for Fortitude at Work and was struck by his positive outlook on life and desire to help me be my best. I wanted to know more about his general attitude to living so positively, so John and I grilled him on the couch! You'll love hearing about his insights and his attitude to life is infectious. Enjoy!

Today we'll be talking about my small business support service - Walk 'n Work. It's quite a unique coaching/mentoring service where I meet a small business owner at their office and we head out for a 40 minute walk. during that time, we can talk about any aspect of their business they choose to discuss, and they know our talks will remain confidential. I have had a lot of interest in the service so thought it best to explain it, and why it is so popular in this episode. Perhaps you'd like to book a walk too?