Episodios
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Key Learning Points
1.The highs and lows through different stages of parenthood
2.How insurance companies can better support their employees to achieve a healthy work-life balance
3.The importance of implementing clear boundaries as a working parent
On the final episode of the Parenthood Diaries, we welcome David Clamp, who is the founder of one of our series sponsors - The Camelot Network - and also works as an independent consultant helping insurance businesses to navigate and embrace digital innovation. As a father of four adult children, he reflects on the different challenges he faced juggling work and family life through the years, before giving us his take on where the insurance industry has made progress in supporting working parents and where there is room for improvement.
Katie asks David if some stages of parenting were easier than others. David explains that in the beginning, he found parenting to be physically challenging - sleepless nights were just the tip of the iceberg! But also, an important part of his role was supporting his wife emotionally, as she had a lot to contend with… not least those dastardly hormones! Once the babies became toddlers and then young children, he found that parenting entered an ‘amazing middle phase’ where they would show him lots of love, including running up to him as he returned home from work. ‘Kids that age spell love as “T.I.M.E.”; the most important thing is to spend time with them.’ The teenage years were more difficult mentally than physically, and he learned that the most important thing throughout was to work on maintaining the bond with his wife - the kids took notice!
Raj then asks David how he managed his responsibilities at work when he began his career in the 90s. David explains that he had to ‘ruthlessly prioritise’ his time to stop work from expanding into all hours. He found it vital to establish clear boundaries and stick to them - such as rejecting calls late in the evening or weekends; ‘understand that when you come through the door, you leave work behind’. David tells us how he had to remind himself to change his language from that of a project manager to a Dad and partner. Offering a different viewpoint, Josie shares that whenever she called her Dad at work, he would never fail to pick up the phone and say ‘I always have time for you.’ - a powerful reminder that kids remember your actions.
Katie also asks David whether he has seen much change in how the insurance industry treats its employees. David says that there wasn’t much active support at the start of his career - the norm was not to bring your family life to work. He believes that changes brought in by COVID-19 - namely, working from home - have been positive, although they do place more responsibility on the individual to set boundaries. David still believes that the industry has a way to go and could be more forthcoming with financial and family support and advice. He recounts that at work he often put on a ‘front’, so he'd be seen to be achieving all their objectives. He thinks it would have been helpful to talk more openly about his family at the beginning of his career.
David notes that senior leaders need to pay attention to these conversations: ‘The more you have motivated people who are really buying into the actual culture (rather than the espoused one) of your company, the more effective they will be, the better reputation you have…. the more that will improve your organisation's bottom line.’ He also notes that the days of working for one organisation your whole life are over; employers need to create an environment where their employees want to work and feel comfortable bringing their whole selves. ‘As talent becomes more scarce, organisations need to attract the whole person, not just the “9-5”’.
His top tip? Do everything you can to relish and treasure every moment. Work will always be there, your family won’t be.
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Key Learning Points:
1.The Father Stunter Culture and how it is holding men back at home and at work
2.Replacing the concept of Breadwinning with Carewinning and why this matters
3.How workplaces can help to challenge some of the harmful social norms that get in the way of gender equity in modern society
On the penultimate episode of the Parenthood Dairies, we are here to talk about modern fatherhood with Danusia Malina-Derben. Alongside being a mum of ten, an academic, entrepreneur, author, speaker and thought leader, Danusia also leads a global firm that fixes boardroom strategy and consults on achieving peak performance. And on top of that, she also hosts two podcasts, School for Mothers and School for Fathers and has also recently written two books on parenthood. We are very excited to have her on the podcast to discuss the latest of these: Spunk.
We first ask Danusia where the idea for Spunk came from. Writing on leadership and feminism, Danusia tells us that she released her first book on motherhood from her own experience and research in 2021. Spunk was the next natural step in that journey, as she had spoken to hundreds of men about fatherhood. Yet this book needed to be research-led even more than her last - so she built a small team of researchers and spoke to over 1,300 respondents, all who were fathers.
Josie says to Danusia how she particularly enjoyed her chapter ‘Share’ - about how Fathers are viewed as the assistant - whether that’s with regard to parenting or domestically. Often, Dads are seen as the fun ‘playmate’ rather than a part of the day-to-day grind.
Danusia says how her research revealed that the ‘domestic zone’ remains women’s, and there were tasks that the surveyed men unanimously did not do in the home. We discuss how mothers are often perpetuating this through ‘maternal gatekeeping’, where women see certain tasks as theirs and assume that they can do them better than their male partner could. This contributes to the ‘father-stunter culture’ - which Danusia believes makes it difficult for men to step into ‘the fatherhood they really want’. Her research revealed a clear desire from men for fatherhood to be viewed differently and to dismiss the idea that men cannot parent as well as women. Danusia points out that it is only through addressing the imbalance in the domestic domain that we can achieve real change in the workplace. She believes that Men, as well as women and children, are being hurt by these ‘patriarchal narratives’.
Josie then asks about another chapter - ‘Fathers with Spunk Care’ - and the concept of a ‘carewinner’ rather than a ‘breadwinner’. Danusia found that men’s identity ‘is squarely around work and financial contribution’, and wished to explore what was standing in the way of being caring fathers. She found that fathers are often ridiculed by others when showing care, as well as demeaned when prioritising their family life over work. She, therefore, invented the phrase ‘carewinner’ - which keeps the narrative of breadwinning - but also embraces fathers who dearly care for their families. Sadly, men who are carewinners are often inhibited to express their feelings as a carer. Danusia argues that workplaces have an opportunity to disassemble these stereotypes; for example, by making sure that part-time and flexible working is targeting men as well as women.
We wrap with Danusia by asking for her final thoughts. Danusia says she believes progressive workplaces have the opportunity to revolutionise domestic life by considering the home lives of their people. There needs to be an understanding that work and home life are linked - which she believes is the key to having a happy and motivated workforce.
Danusia’s top tip is simple: have those difficult conversations. Talk with your partner and analyse your household responsibilities - and involve your children too!
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Key Learning Points:
1.The challenges faced by parents of neurodivergent children in school
2.How seeking a diagnosis for a neurodivergent child can affect a parent at work
3.The support that parents need from their employers
Today on the Risky Mix, we welcome back Rebekah Bostan and Eilish Jamieson! Rebekah is Director of Research & Insight at InsTech and Eilish is an Executive Coach & Board Advisor. Both will share their experience raising neurodivergent children, including their journeys to gaining diagnosis, their challenges navigating the education system, parental mental health and the support they may require from employers. Thank you for being so open and honest with us, ladies!
A big thanks to our series partners, Genasys and The Camelot Network, for enabling this to happen!
We first ask Eilish and Rebekah to tell us about their family setup. Eilish explains how she is a mum of three, where her middle child has autism, ADHD and dyslexia. For a while, her family normalised her son’s ‘character traits’, believing he had a ‘fiery’ personality and embraced it. Once he went into secondary school, it became apparent that her son was struggling. He saw the word in ‘black-and-white terms’ but was also highly intelligent and ahead of his peers. Eilish tells us she went through the private healthcare route to gain a diagnosis. Eilish also tells us that, although she thought she had worked with diverse teams before, she knew nothing about neurodiversity because, as she admits, she ‘didn’t have to’.
Rebekah explains how her experience was different; her family has a long history of neurodivergence. She is a mum of two; a 13-year-old daughter and a 16-year-old son. Her son was diagnosed with ADHD, dyslexia and dyspraxia - which didn’t come as a shock. Yet what shocked Rebekah was how schools treated neurodivergence. Rebekah explains that she brought in private tuition to help his education which put a financial strain on her family. Rebekah also explains that seeking government help and the associated paperwork adds additional stress. In that context, Rebekah says it’s no wonder that over 75% of parents with neurodivergent children struggle with their mental health. Eilish tells us that we often see statistics released about women leaving the workplace due to ‘childcaring responsibilities’, yet there’s never a definition of exactly why this is. She tells us that neurodivergent children often have more demands on parents’ time and as such, having a community is incredibly important so she encourages parents to find support groups online.
We also ask Eilish and Rebekah what change they would like to see from employers. Eilish tells us that workplaces are far more aware of parents’ challenges and special educational needs than ever before but often wait until parents reach a crisis point where they can’t sustain their work hours. At that point, most organisations are supportive but Eilish insists that it should never get to that point. She praises employee assistance programmes, so that children get access to professional support, but acknowledges there is still a way to go. Rebekah tells us that her main points of stress came from assessing her child’s needs, the diagnosis and behavioural issues. At all of these points, Rebekah needed time away from work and flexibility in working hours. Her previous employer gave her what she needed and she stayed for 14 years.
Eilish also pointed out these resources for finding support and advice:
IPSEA - works with parents to understand their rights and how to get their families the support they needFor business:
Neurodiversity In BusinessGAINMade By Dyslexia -
Key Learning Points:
1.How employers can support workers in blended families
2.What a ‘blended family’ looks like
3.How rigid working environments can impair employees’ performance
Welcome back to the Risky Mix! In this episode, we welcome newlyweds Sam (a former Risky Mix guest) and Jennie, who are here to talk about the challenges and joys of their ‘blended’ family. Sam is the Founder & CEO of Stella Insurance and Founder & Chair at Freedom Services Group. Jennie also had a big job in the city but is now the Creator & Author of a successful children’s book and expanding brand, Howie Blend, which aims to promote diversity through featuring various forms of blended families!
A big thanks to our series partners, Genasys and The Camelot Network, for enabling this to happen!
We start by asking Sam and Jennie what their ‘blended’ family looks like. Sam explains that she was previously married and had two kids, Frankie and Harry. After she divorced, she joined Tinder and found it both ‘terrifying and enlightening’ but ultimately met her other half on the platform. Sam came as a ‘package deal’ for Jennie, as she already had kids - making their unit a ‘blended family’ - where two separate families come together. The fact that they were an LGBT+ couple added an extra layer of ‘greatness’! They both explain how they are also adding to their family via IVF.
We then ask Sam and Jennie what it’s like living in a blended family. Jennie first explains that their family isn’t as divided as it might seem; they don’t use labels like ‘step-parents’ and ‘step-siblings’ - their kids call them their ‘mums’ and nothing else. ‘We are one unit, one family’. We then ask how Sam splits her childcare responsibilities. Sam explains how she has a 50/50 custody split, which has worked well for her and Jennie. Her workplace advocates for flexible working, so she scales her work according to when her kids are with her. Jennie tells us that it can be difficult to be separated, but they still find the ‘joy in every circumstance’; they maximise time away from their kids by spending it together.
Raj then asks whether being part of a blended family adds another level of complexity at work. Sam explains how it does, but other people in her workplace - including several single mums - are in similar situations. Her companies have flexible working policies in place which lets parents like her work around their childcare requirements, but it’s important that they establish good communication first. For example, Sam learnt that colleagues abroad preferred to schedule meetings later at night and leave their early evenings free for their families. She says that many people go through personal issues, so ‘trying to parent and be good at your job’ at the same time can be ‘psychologically jarring’ - making it difficult for people to perform at their best. ‘If you give that flexibility to people, they give it back in dividends.’
Katie also asks what employers should do to support people. Sam talks about how her company brought in a psychologist to work on ‘emotional contracting’ and understanding where people’s boundaries lie. Sam explains that many people at work often lack ‘professional intimacy’; if you’re trying to create high-performing teams, people have to understand each team member, how they work together and what their boundaries are. Often, situations arise where someone is completely inflexible due to their family situation - but unless people trust each other and communicate properly, team members and bosses can feel let down. Raj agrees and says that there is often a culture in corporate environments where anything outside of work is not talked about - a toxic culture which becomes prevalent. Sam also agrees; she has worked with people who have been but has supported them through those times and ‘have come out on the other side and had lots of success’.
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Key Learning Points:
1.The challenges faced by working parents as they juggle being a parent and having a career
2.What employers can do to help support working single parents
3.The need for employers to plan for the impacts of their policy changes to ensure the policy works in practice
In this episode, we speak to two single working parents, Sonya and Amanda, about juggling life as single, working parents. Sonya wears multiple professional 'hats' as a Board Advisor, Accredited Coach and Insights Discovery Practitioner and Amanda has recently joined Element Materials Technology as their Global Senior Manager for ESG.
We begin by asking Amanda and Sonya to talk about their experiences as working parents - from having kids to getting divorced and their relationship with their employers during this time. Sonya explains that she is a mum of two and step-mum to another two, all of whom are now grown up. She tells us how after her divorce she felt the need to fight for promotion to earn more money and support her children as much as she could. Amanda, who is mum to a little boy called Harvey, left a life in Switzerland after her divorce and moved back to the UK. She had to adjust to the lack of flexibility in childcare services and juggling working full-time as well as commuting early to pick up her son. Amanda goes on to talk about how the opening hours of nurseries are much shorter in the UK than in Switzerland, making it much harder to fit her long working hours around the care of her child.
Sonya then tells us that she couldn’t afford childcare, so, instead, had to rely on lots of help from friends and family. She explains how she suffered from years of mum guilt as a working parent, especially as she missed many school events such as sports day and parents' evenings. She explained that the teachers and other parents at the school barely knew who she was, which was challenging. Sonya speaks about how she was a part of a toxic and inflexible working environment, where, for example, she couldn’t take a day off to pick her sick child up from school and take care of him, she had to drop him off to her mum’s and head right back into work.
We go on to ask them both about what employers can do to better support single working parents. Sonya talks about how many companies have policies in place, such as allowing their staff five emergency days, but that they don’t often plan well for the operational and financial implications of these policies, meaning they don’t work in practice. In fact, employees can be left feeling unable to activate them for fear of repercussion. Essentially, allowing employees greater flexibility requires planning and infrastructure that goes beyond the policy alone. For example, if a business wants to give all of their employees time off for parents' evenings and school plays, then they probably need to hire more people to cover that. She then talks about how senior roles should lead by example; if you have a sports day to attend then mark it in your calendar as exactly that.
Reflecting on being single parents, they both go on to say that it’s about balance and give-and-take between work and personal life, you have to be realistic about your expectations and that goes for both parties involved. They also emphasise the importance of having clear boundaries in all areas of your life.
Finally, we ask both Sonya and Amanda for their top parenting tips. Amanda says ‘be present’ when you are spending time with your children: do it with intent and fully engage with the activity, and the same goes for work. Sonya tells us ‘don’t beat yourself up’. You are still teaching your children valuable life lessons through working full time.
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Key Learning Points:
1.How different workplace policies can support working parents returning to work and sharing responsibilities
2.The importance of challenging societal norms for childcare and work and doing what is best for your family
3.How leaders setting an example as a working parent can make cultural change happen at work
In this episode of The Parenthood Diaries, we speak to new parents André and Nikita Symes about the challenges of juggling parenting and work and how employers can help. André is co-CEO of our series partner, Genasys, and Nikita is Ops Manager at Carebit.
We begin by asking André and Nikita what things were like when they were expecting their baby, Seb. They both explain how they were excited but daunted, realising that things would be changing in their lives. Yet they also faced people questioning how they would cope with a baby, adding to their collective anxiety. None of their family members lives in the UK; some asked ‘how are you going to do it without “a village”?’
As a working mum, Nikita says that she faced judgement from many during and after her pregnancy, driving a feeling of guilt: ‘...society needs to stop telling us what to do with our time’. In this regard, André believed the lockdowns helped ‘rip open what the “norm” was with society at work’. In a normal office, he would never have brought baby Seb into his boardroom; yet in 2020, everyone had to look after their children at home. He says this sense of normalisation created empathy amongst parents - a step towards encouraging shared parental responsibility.
André then recounts that, unlike Nikita’s experience, becoming a Dad was seen as ‘cool’ despite his ‘minimal contribution’ during pregnancy and birth! Yet he still felt pressure from the world of work, a ‘general sense that you are the boss, setting the example…’. And so he did: after Seb was born he brought him along, sitting him on his lap into his meetings, which didn’t bother his colleagues at all. André tells us he feared empathy would be confused for weakness. But in fact, his team saw confidence and a good role model.
André and Nikita also talk about full-time childcare and its prohibitive cost - which can be around £2,500 a month per child in London. André says this ‘cuts people off at the knees’, forcing some to stay at home and often resulting in women losing progression in their careers. Nikita says that whilst being a stay-at-home mum may be the ‘norm’, it doesn’t always make sense. She says that some companies offer flexible hours or stagger return to work back up to full-time hours, which can keep critical experience in organisations - allowing retention of ‘a workforce that has been there a while and is loyal…just working in a different way.’ Nikita thus urges organisations to think outside the box and look at these kinds of alternatives.
Katie then asks André and Nikita what employers can do to help. André says he wants to see the option of later paternity leave, so that Dads can create a bond with their children when they are a little bit older. He also wants to see empathy towards Dads with responsibility during working hours and the flexibility that goes with it - other Dads shouldn’t frown upon others for helping out with parenting. For example, André’s team at Genasys were told to ‘work when they need to’ on flexible hours - to great results.
Finally, we ask both André and Nikita to give us their closing top parenting tips. Nikita tells us that, as ‘your child’s first teacher and role model’, it’s really important to take care of yourself: ‘...how you treat yourself will be how your child treats themselves one day.’. André says that it would be tough to follow that one up! Nevertheless, he reminds us that in the more challenging moments ‘it will be ok… the sun will rise tomorrow…have patience and empathy and things will work themselves out’.
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Key Learning Points:
1.How surrogacy works in the UK and the misconception surrounding the process
2.The emotional challenges sometimes faced by men looking to take parental leave
3.How workplaces can support working parents through the surrogacy process
In this episode of the The Parenthood Diaries, we speak to Ash Daniells, an Associate Solicitor at RPC with insurance experience through his specialism in professional indemnity and financial services dispute resolution, and father to his 9-month-old son Billy.
A big thanks to our series partners, Genasys and The Camelot Network, for enabling this to happen!
We begin by talking to Ash about his surrogacy journey and how he and his husband started looking into becoming parents via adoption or surrogacy. He admits that he did not know much about the surrogacy process and thought it was ‘only for the rich and famous’. Fortunately, they had a friend who had been through the process to recommend information and resources.
In the UK surrogacy isn’t legally binding and is based on friendship. This meant that Ash and his husband had to get to know their surrogate, Kirsty, very well to ensure that they all saw eye to eye – a process they enjoyed and has led to them maintaining a solid friendship since. He explains that in the UK a surrogate is not allowed to make a profit, so the surrogates are typically doing it to be able to give the gift of a child to someone else. Ash tells us that there is still a lot of stigma and misinformation surrounding surrogacy in the UK; many people assume that the surrogates are being mistreated or ask questions such as whether they are worried that the surrogate will run off with the baby, as most people’s perceptions of surrogacy still comes from sensationalised TV dramas.
We then move on to talk about the birth and the experience of taking Billy home. In the UK, when a child is born via a surrogate then it is the surrogate’s name, and the surrogate’s husband if they have one, that is written on the birth certificate at first. The parents can then apply for parental responsibility between 6 weeks and 6 months after the child’s birth. Ash explains the process of being assessed by a member of CAFCASS to ensure that the surrogacy was done fairly and recalls their day in court - a day he found enjoyable as it meant Billy was now legally their child.
Finally, we discuss how Ash has been supported by his employer throughout. He recalls being nervous to tell his workplace that he was going to have a child as he felt that as a man, they wouldn’t expect it in the way they would have for a woman. That was not the case, however, as his colleagues were very supportive and not surprised at all, saying that he was ‘the biggest family man they had ever met’.
Because surrogacy is still relatively new in the UK and does not have its own plan for parental leave, Ash had to take something called ‘adoption leave’. There are some aspects of this plan that differ from normal parental leave such as not being able to take time off before the birth to get things ready. Fortunately, RPC were very supportive, working with his feedback and allowing him time off beforehand. He explains how his decision to take 12 months off work to be with Billy was daunting and his imposter syndrome returned as he worried he would lose the relationship that he had built with his clients. In reality, he has even been recently promoted whilst off work, a fact that he says shows how much RPC values their employees and supports those taking parental leave.
When we ask what advice he would give to listeners to end the episode, Ash cites the importance of strong communication between parents about how they will share the caring responsibilities. He also emphasises the importance of good communication with your manager when returning to work so they can ease you back into things whilst giving you enough responsibility.
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Key learning points
1.The different challenges facing new parents, including postnatal depression
2.The importance of role models in insurance
3.How the insurance industry can help working parents
Trigger warning - this episode discusses miscarriage, birth trauma and postnatal depression.
In this episode of the Parenthood Diaries, we chat with a long-time friend of the Risky Mix Podcast, Hilary Banks. Hilary is Director of Sales at Guardian Financial Services and a mum to two young boys, Ernest (10) and Herbie (6).
A big thanks to our series partners, Genasys and The Camelot Network, for enabling this to happen!
We begin by asking Hilary to recap her story so far. She tells us how she feels super fortunate to be the mother of two boys who make her laugh every day but then goes on to describe her first pregnancy, which sadly ended in miscarriage, and how she struggled to recover. She pretended that it didn’t happen and told no one at work about her experience. She points out that many women's miscarriages take place in secret, for fear of their employers knowing they are trying for a family.
Hilary then explains how, when she told her employer that she was 12 weeks pregnant with Ernest, she started ‘sobbing uncontrollably’ to her boss, thinking that they would regard her as a disappointment and that her career progression would be impacted. It was then that Hilary found out about her poor maternity package; she only got 6 weeks of full maternity pay. Hilary returned to work after 12 weeks, as she couldn’t afford not to, despite having a traumatic C-section only weeks before. We agree with Hilary that attitudes need to change - both around maternity and paternity leave. ‘To have a husband or partner at home only for two weeks…it’s not enough’
Hilary then tells us about her experience with postnatal depression and describes how, when she took maternity leave for the second time, she’d imagined ‘gliding around the house for 16 weeks hugging my baby’. In reality, her baby was crying constantly and she felt increasingly isolated. It was her husband who spotted that she was suffering, and, whilst returning to work proved to be the ‘fix’ Hilary needed, she recognises that this won’t be the same for all. Hilary also reminds us that postnatal depression may not be immediate, but can occur several months after giving birth.
She tells us how her relationship was under a lot of strain during the first four years of parenthood. Hilary explains how she'd felt guilty doing things like getting her hair done or exercising, as she felt she couldn’t justify taking a day for herself. But she had her ‘lightbulb moment’ - that she and her husband had to make time for themselves. ‘I don’t want anyone to wait 4 years. I want new parents to do this from day one because it’s healthy. It’s better for the children and it's better for your relationship.’
Finally, we ask Hilary what the industry can do for people with young families. She shares her early mistakes of hiding the fact that she was a mother when she was at work, missing school assemblies, and even checking her emails from her child's hospital bed. Now, Hilary tells us that she tries to be a role model, transparent about the fact she is a mum prioritising both kids and work, and encourages others to do the same. She provides an environment where her team feel they can get things off their chest, ‘so that people are not going through these bizarre experiences where we can’t talk about miscarriages, or trying for a baby, or postnatal depression’ without the risk of career repercussions. Hilary also believes that people should have the option to gradually return to work and be fully paid for that time - which is better for everyone, particularly those with postnatal depression. Her top tip to working parents is: don’t be embarrassed or hide the fact that you are a parent whilst you’re at work.
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Key Learning Points
1.The stress induced on couples experiencing rounds of IVF and infertility
2.How organisations can help people cope through their fertility journey
3.What (not) to say to couples struggling with infertility
Trigger warning - this episode discusses ectopic pregnancy and failed rounds of IVF.
In this episode of the Parenthood Diaries, we speak to Samantha Davidson, a 29 year-old Senior Product Manager at Simply Business, who will be talking about her ongoing fertility journey and how the insurance industry can help those struggling to conceive.
Sam explains how she began trying for a baby with her partner, Dean, in June 2020, but had no joy after 6 months. They went to the NHS for tests, but came back all clear. People often told her to ‘not to worry so much’ and ‘relax’, which, she shares, was easier said than done! Sam tells us that after her first two rounds of IVF, she was diagnosed with poor egg quality - making the chance of conceiving naturally ‘very slim’. Sam would either have to adopt, or use a donor’s eggs if she wanted to carry a child herself. ‘DNA-wise, the child wouldn’t be genetically mine… it hit me like a slap in the face’. Sam tells us DNA is a now non-issue, but carrying a child is very important to her.
After the two failed UK rounds, Sam and her partner looked abroad, eventually choosing a clinic in Prague. Using a donor’s eggs, they got 8 top-quality embryos, returning the next month to have them implanted. They then became pregnant - but Sam soon began to feel unwell. She had cramps, nausea and started bleeding, and headed to A&E at 4AM in the morning. Doctors found that she had an ectopic pregnancy, which needed keyhole surgery to remove the pregnancy and a fallopian tube.
We then ask Sam if she knows how common infertility is. She tells us that 1 in 7 couples struggle with infertility - that’s 48 million couples globally. Recent studies suggest that microplastics and other common chemicals are increasingly to blame. But Sam also warns that things can ‘get absolutely ridiculous’ if you ‘bury yourself in a rabbit-hole of things to avoid’. She tells us she stopped using chemicals to clean her house and drank and ate things she hated. ‘I said to my consultant: “If you tell me that I need to eat cat poo to get pregnant, I will!’
When asked all this has affected her work, Sam tells us that she struggled, as IVF put a big mental and financial strain on her and her relationship. Sam tells us that work could sometimes be a good distraction, but mounting stress meant she reduced her hours to 4 days a week, which helped. After her ectopic pregnancy, and during IVF rounds, Simply Business gave her plenty of time off to recover. Yet Sam also said that as a woman she was anxious that her career would fall behind, or that she would be seen as incapable or emotional.
Finally, we ask Sam for her top tips to employers and employees on how to communicate properly with those on a fertility journey. Sam tells us that, first and foremost, employers need to be understanding and sympathetic. She then tells us what not to do - like refusing a request to work from home. She encourages managers to ‘give people what they need’, offer resources available, and be patient. She also encourages employees to go to HR if they aren’t getting the support they need from their manager. Sam also explains that people can be (unintentionally) insensitive. She recommends that people never say ‘at least’ when talking about infertility, but that the worst thing you can say is nothing at all - it's best to just let them know you care.
To listen to more of Sam’s story, check our her podcast called “Infertility and Me - Samantha” available on Spotify and Anchor.
As always, a big thanks to our series partners, Genasys and The Camelot Network!
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Key learning points
1.Challenges for parents returning to work
2.Where the inspiration for the Risky Mix Parenthood Diaries came from
3.The topics that the series will cover
Here on the Risky Mix podcast we are delighted to kick off our new ten-part series - the Parenthood Diaries! For the next 5 months, we will be covering a huge range of parenthood-related topics with insurance guests who have ‘been there and done it’. We'll be chatting about things like going back to work two weeks after giving birth; managing a rising career alongside rounds of IVF; parenting children with additional needs and blended families. Whether you’re a parent in the industry, hoping to have children soon, or are working for an organisation looking to create inclusive workspaces and cultures, we think we’ve got something for everyone. In this episode, Josie and Raj chat about what’s to come in the Parenthood Diaries, and share a behind-the-scenes look at life as a new mum with our returned co-host, Katie!
A big thanks to our series partners, Genasys and The Camelot Network 🙌
First, we ask how Katie’s doing as a new mum! Seven months in, Katie tells us how it’s been tougher than expected and she has so much less time than she thought. She naively believed she could start working straight away - instead, she tells us she’s been squeezing work in when she can and living life in ‘two-to-three-hour routines’. On the flip side, Katie shares some of her wonderful bonding moments - ‘one smile makes a stressful day melt away’. She tells us how her husband, John, has been helping out alongside his full-time role, but that in July, he will become a full-time dad so Katie can return to work, which she is really looking forward to.
When asked about her motivation for producing the Parenthood Diaries, Katie shares how she is hoping to shed some light on a wide variety of challenges faced by working parents, learn from people who have been through these firsthand and inspire the insurance industry to step up its game!
We then discuss the topics we are particularly looking forward to covering in the series. For Katie, it’s the episode on parenting as a couple; she believes Dads don’t get enough credit for their role as parents. She notes that she and her hubby are aiming for an even split of responsibilities, but that they often to fall into ‘traditional’ parenting roles due to their time restrictions. Josie says that she’s keen to open up the conversation on miscarriage and post-natal depression, and what the industry is doing to help its employees, while Raj is interested to hear more about managing work alongside IVF.
We also talk about what we want to get out of this series. Josie is getting married soon, and wants to start a family at some point, so would like to hear how others juggled family and their careers! She’s also looking for her own D&I inspiration, and is excited to see what difference the Parenthood Diaries can make. Raj hopes that exploring ‘taboo topics’ will get us more comfortable talking to each other in the industry and help our collective mental health. Like Katie, she hopes that Dads can be brought more into the equation; there remains stigma associated with men taking time off to spend with their children, to the detriment of both men and women. On that front, Raj is interested in how same sex couples manage the division of childcare responsibilities - something we will be covering in the series!
Finally, Katie shares her top parenting tip with us: make the most of the daily pram walk. It’s great daily exercise in the sun, but also gives her the opportunity to pop her headphones on and catch up with work voice notes!
Do you have a top parenting tip? We would love to hear from you! Post a 60 second video on LinkedIn or Twitter using #parentlife and tag us!
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Key learning points
1.How Zurich is changing company culture by embracing diversity and inclusion
2.The learnings from Zurich’s D&I initiative
3.How to get leaders on board with D&I change
Today on the Risky Mix podcast we’re delighted to be joined by Steve Collinson, Chief HR Officer at Zurich UK. As well as sharing his personal journey and passion for D&I, Steve is here to talk about Zurich’s impressive efforts to overhaul company culture and improve both diversity and inclusion across the organisation. From flexible work initiatives to more inclusive employee benefits, Zurich has led by example over the last few years, and we’re really looking forward to hearing more about the progress they’ve made and what they’ve learned along the way.
Being a Zurich ‘lifer’, Steve has worked in all sorts of change-focused roles, eventually becoming Chief HR Officer in 2018. Steve shares his passion for change at work, particularly through listening to employees’ lived experiences, not just examining data. His core goal was simple: ‘To put weight to the voice of our own people’.
We ask Steve about the change employees were asking for. Taking gender as an example, he tells us that whilst Zurich’s workforce had gender parity in their most junior roles, the same could not be said for senior positions. He emphasises how important it was for the firm to be open and honest about its starting point and progress; Zurich still published its ethnicity, gender, disability, and LGBT pay gap data, despite the reporting government’s break in 2020.
Steve engaged The Behavioural Insights Team, who challenged Zurich to introduce a ‘behavioural nudge’. Now, all job roles are advertised as 'part-time, job-share or full-time', which made a significant difference; the proportion of women hired rose and the number of applications for all positions more than doubled. Moreover, the number of women working part-time has risen significantly – almost one in four female hires in the last 12 months are employed part-time.
When asked about Zurich’s progress with inclusion, Steve tells us that the firm has put massive effort into diversity, yet inclusivity is almost more important – as it’s critical for employee retention. He introduced various initiatives, including having employee resource groups visit the board at least twice a year. Steve also worked to introduce benefits and policy to ‘celebrate diversity’ – including equalising parental leave, and creating menopause, premature babies, IVF, and other policies – not just for support, but to also create a conversation around these experiences.
We also ask Steve how he got leaders on board with his ideas. Steve notes that he was lucky to work with a supportive CEO. But he has also stressed the importance of D&I to his executives, with the knowledge that ‘a more diverse and inclusive, empowered and engaged organisation delivers a better bottom-line result’. But Steve also adds that he avoids ‘opening Excel and creating a business case for every scenario’ as many initiatives ‘were simply the right thing to do’. Where costs are associated, communicated these in advance and planned for them.
And the result? Engagement in the company is ‘at levels that would have been dreamed of five years ago’ and Zurich is the only insurer ranked in the top fifty places to work on Glassdoor.
Yet whilst Steve is very happy with the progress made, he believes the company still has a way to go. Steve realises it remains a challenge in financial services to attract workers from the black community, which he argues is a reality leaders need to accept and resolve. He is adamant that Zurich seeks a diverse and balanced applicant pool ‘at the top of the funnel’ and wants to ensure that the recruitment process is free of unconscious bias that does not create disadvantage to certain groups. -
Key learning points
1.Changing attitudes to part-time and flexible working
2.How part-time workers could contribute just as much as full-time workers
3.Tips for how you can make the shift to part-time work
Today on the Risky Mix podcast we’re delighted to be rejoined by Rebekah Bostan, Director of Research and Insight at InsTech. Through sharing her learnings as a 14-year award-winning flexible worker, Rebekah will take us through the advantages that part-time work arrangements can offer both employees and businesses and will also challenge the stereotypes that surround this type of work, before providing some tips on how to ask your employer for a part-time role.
Rebekah begins by sharing how she looked to pursue part-time work after starting her family relatively young. It was the early-2000s, so part-time and flexible work options were quite rare, but as she was looking to balance childcare with caring for her partner with a disability, she was determined. She made a bold request and with a bit of help from lady luck, was successful in securing a part-time role. Rebekah tells us that this set-up not only allowed her to balance household responsibilities but also to do other things – she helped rebuild her local community centre and became a board member in local organisations.
Discussing attitudes to flexible work, Rebekah explains how throughout her career she encountered a wealth of ‘superfluous’ reasons for why part-time would never work, and yet during the pandemic, flexible working has proved completely possible. People have had no choice but to juggle work with caring requirements and social distancing necessitated work-from-home arrangements. But there is a long way to go for changing perceptions on part-work. She tells us of its ‘gendered nature’ as mostly women work part-time; often it’s seen as going down a ‘mummy career track’. Rebekah says you are still perceived as contributing less if not working a five-day week. Yet having experienced both full and part-time roles, Rebekah tells us that part-time workers are some of the ‘most structured, efficient, organised people because they have narrow time to do the work’. Working five days a week, she argues, can leave the door open for unproductive tasks and procrastination.
Rebekah also shares with us her ‘formula’ for how to ask your employer for part-time work:
1.Recognise the business before yourself. It’s not just about what you need - you have the right to ask for part-time work, but you don’t have the right to be granted it – your employer isn’t obliged to make changes unless it’s a medical adjustment. So you need to think about how you going part-time would benefit the business too.
2.All teams have their limits – think about what consequences your move to part-time will have on your managers and team members. Lots of teams are often overstretched and exhausted – so a request could be viewed as additional pressure - how will you counter this?
3.Recognise the role of manager discretion. Take time to figure out what your managers are worried about. Eg, is it cost, delivery timelines, or headcount? This can help you form a counterargument.
4.Triage your role. Get your work tasks down on paper, and sort them into three circles):
a.The ‘core’ tasks – high-value stuff that’s important to your manager or next job – the things you can’t compromise on and you will keep.
b.‘Low-value tasks’ – can these be automated, or even stopped?
c.The ‘delegation’ tasks – these should be sold as a golden opportunity to the people doing them – how can these grow your team’s skills?5.Treat it like you are building a business case!
Rebekah also recommends looking at the charity Timewise (https://timewise.co.uk).
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The Key Learning Points:
1. How organisations can support women during menopause
2. How people are affected by (early) menopause
3. The importance of discussing menopause in society and at work
Today on the Risky Mix podcast we’re delighted to be joined by Rebekah Bostan, Director of Research and Insight at InsTech London and an award-winning diversity champion. Rebekah will be talking all about the menopause, including outlining some of the lesser-known symptoms and addressing some of the big misconceptions. Drawing from her own experience of unexpected early menopause, Rebekah will also share strategies for managing menopause at work and suggest how colleagues can support someone going through it.
Rebekah explains that, in her late 30's, she started to experience changes in her menstrual cycle. She says she was becoming increasingly intolerant and felt claustrophobic (later recognised as hot flush). She forgot common details like her children’s names (brain fog) and found it uncomfortable sitting down (a sign of vaginal dryness). Rebekah says she also struggled with anxiety. She wanted to grow her career, now that her kids were teens, but feared she would have to ‘lean out’. She explains it was a scary conversation to have; she had worked so hard to climb the corporate ladder and to persuade people to respect her as an equal, but now she had to ask to be treated a little differently (which, she reminds us, is ok too!).
Rebekah went to her GP believing she had early-onset dementia, but her GP recognised the signs of early menopause – having 28 out of 30 known symptoms! It turns out that both her mum and her grandmother had experienced early menopause, yet they'd never shared this with her. Rebekah believes this is because as a society we have ‘pushed menopause to a place where we don’t talk about it’. As a result, she struggled to recognise and define her symptoms - she lacked the language. She tells us it angers her that menopause isn’t discussed more, despite being a natural thing with symptoms that can generally be treated.
Rebekah tells us that her GP’s referral to an early menopause clinic had a nine-month wait, but she was lucky to have access to private medical treatment. But Rebekah tells us that she also leaned on other resources, including ‘menopause cafés’ where she talked to women at different stages of menopause.
Rebekah also tells us how she navigated her diagnosis at work. She worked part-time, which helped tremendously. As her company wasn’t talking about menopause, she created a menopause policy and groups (but warns us that policies only work if management buys into them!). She also tells us how asking for help was hard, but the best thing she did – she delegated her tasks to her team and chose opportunities that would allow her colleagues to grow.
We then talk about what teams can do to support someone experiencing menopause. Rebekah stresses the value of flexible working – such as working from home and the option to reduce hours. She wants employers to give people room to say what they need and then to provide that support. Rebekah told us how she felt comfortable telling her team when she was having a ‘brain-foggy’ day – allowing her colleagues to step in where necessary – and she would support them when they needed help too. She also urges people working in HR to distinguish menopausal sick days from normal sick days – as it can be stressful if you are perceived to be taking too much time off.
We also ask Rebekah if she has any final advice for people going through menopause. She urges people to track their symptoms and see a GP. If your GP isn’t taking your symptoms seriously, she says, find another one! She also recommends the resource menopausematters.co.uk. Finally, she urges people with the financial capacity to use private healthcare where they can, as she wants as many women as possible to stay in leadership.
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The Key Learning Points:
1.How a lack of diversity affects the employee experience for minority groups
2.The impact of D&I focused internships
3.How companies can shift their mindset to become more inclusive
Today on the Risky Mix podcast we’re joined by Dawid Konotey-Ahulu, co-founder of Redington, an investment consultancy, and Mallowstreet, a platform for education and convening in the asset management industry. Dawid is also the co-founder of 10000 Black Interns, a not-for-profit organisation that is finding 10,000 internships for black graduates across 24 sectors over the next five years and in this episode, he will take us through the story, the successes so far and the things he has learned that could help organisations striving to recruit and retain a more diverse workforce.
Dawid begins by sharing his early career and the initial hurdles he faced. He qualified as a junior barrister in 1987 and was accepted onto a pupilage with The Bar, however, was informed that there was no chance of this developing into a job, as they’d ‘already hired a black person last year’! Nevertheless, Dawid went on to have a 30-year long career in the city, working as an in-house lawyer for banks, before eventually transitioning into investment banking and then founding Redington in 2006.
Dawid noticed that, though he never faced any outright racism during his time in the City, he was often the only black person in the room. He was approached by one of his junior staffers, Grace, who was also of black heritage and shared a similar story. As the daughter of a single mum, she had worked hard to get a job as an actuary in the City but felt that her confidence waned as she was outnumbered by mostly older, white colleagues - she didn’t know how to ‘be’.
Dawid tells us that at the time, out of the City's 3,000 asset managers, only 12 were black. Thinking introspectively in June 2020, deep in lockdown and in the wake of George Floyd’s murder, Dawid wanted to take action. He spoke with his asset management contacts and asked them to take 1 black intern for 6 weeks during summer. After phoning up 30 companies, 30 had accepted. Eventually, over 200+ firms said ‘yes’ to 500+ internships.
The response, Dawid tells us, was incredible and messages from ecstatic interns flew into his inbox. Dawid tells us this inspired him to grow the scheme to set up 100 internships over 20 sectors for 5 years - hence the target of 10,000 emerged. Dawid reminds us that firms ought to do more than simply accept BAME interns, but it's a step in the right direction, showing that when people come together, change can happen quickly. He tells us he used the 'here comes everyone' approach to persuade bosses and keep momentum, saying ‘everyone is doing it, so why don’t you!’. Amazingly, 30% of the interns placed got a job and those that didn’t were inundated with high quality offers from other firms. He reminds us that a hallmark of inequality is a lack of contacts – afterwards, the interns had a flood of LinkedIn requests. Dawid tells us that the programme changed the way in which firms work and think about recruitment – placing less emphasis on educational background (important, given that black people are underrepresented at the top universities).
We finish by asking Dawid what can be done by organisations to create a more diverse workspace. He acknowledges that there are plenty of well-meaning people in organisations who want to enact change, but there is a pervasive belief that success is entirely determined by how much work people are willing to put in. Dawid reminds us that this simply isn’t the case – take the fact that there are only 6 CEOs in the FTSE 100 are women. If corporations want to make a difference, he tells us, they need to make it their no.1 item on their agenda. A company can have a high stock price and great retention – but diversity is also crucial for business success.
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Key learning points:
1.The impact of dyslexia on someone’s life
2.The value of neurodiversity in your organisation
3.The benefits of making websites accessible for everyone
Today on the podcast we’re delighted to be joined by Ross Linnett, CEO at Recite Me, a company creating inclusive online experiences through its web accessibility plugin software. We're hear Ross’ story, including the impact that his late dyslexia diagnosis had on his journey, and discuss how companies in financial services and beyond can deliver a more inclusive digital customer experience.
We first chat about how Ross’ undiagnosed dyslexia impacted his school life. Ross was very confident but hated reading aloud to his classmates and wasn’t performing in exams. Ross asked his teachers if he was dyslexic and was dismissed. He thought ‘I must just be a bit thick!’
Ross then tells us how he made his life choices around dyslexia, picking electrical engineering, despite not having a passion for it. He eventually got tested after a friend noticed he was showing signs of dyslexia.
Ross explains that we are all on a neurodiverse scale, with Autism and Asperger’s on one side, dyslexia on the other and non-dyslexic people in between. He reminds us that the world is mostly built for neurotypical people, but having a dyslexic brain can be a superpower in itself. Whilst neurotypical brains can only process one or two streams of information at the same time, dyslexic people can handle four or five. Ross reminds us that dyslexia is about the brain performing differently, despite being labelled as a disability. He tells us that The World Health Organisation thinks that 10-15% of the western population is dyslexic, but it could be as high as 25%!
Ross then tells us about how he became President of his Student Union where his abilities could shine.: ‘I got into running a £3 million business when I was 22’. He even pitched into the white paper for the Disability Discrimination Act. Before this, it was up to disabled people, not employers, to make necessary adjustments.
We then asked Ross about how his experiences led to founding Recite Me. After his diagnosis, accessibility software was a game-changer. Being able to have text read out aloud and change background page colour would allow him to stay switched on and work faster for longer. To make websites more accessible, Ross started Recite Me. Tools like text-to-speech, magnification, dyslexia-friendly fonts help his clients (including Boots and Tesco Bank) make their sites more readable for all. Ross tells us that these systems don’t just benefit dyslexics – everyone has their own combination of background colour, font and text colour that can make the work up to 20-25% faster. That’s why Ross believes that digital accessibility tools should be as common as a wheelchair ramp.
We then talk about the need for accessibility in financial services. Ross reminds us that we must read lots of legalese on websites. He questions how well companies could enforce a contract if someone couldn’t properly absorb that information. Walls of text like policy documents can easily make him bored – so he often leaves buying his insurance right to the last minute.
Ross warns us that the biggest impact on a dyslexic’s life can be the resistance of systems. Where something, like education, hasn’t worked for someone, they either design a system for themselves or reject it. He tells us that a study of a prison’s population revealed that 85% of the inmates were dyslexic. He urges people to get tested if they believe they are dyslexic.
Finally, we ask what non-dyslexic people can do to help, as community members and employers. Ross hopes that neurodiverse conditions are seen less as disabilities but more for their advantages in teams, such as their analytical and memory skills. He wants this to be as universal as having gender diversity in modern organisations.
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The Key Learning Points:
1.Misconceptions about careers in insurance, and why it is actually a fantastic industry to be part of
2.Lessons from AXA’s ‘Fairer in Five’ campaign for diversity reporting
3.How the culture of concealment in the financial services industry may be impacting negatively on the diversity of the workforce
Today on the Risky Mix Podcast, we’re delighted to be joined by Tracy Garrad, CEO at AXA Health and executive sponsor for D&I at AXA UK. We’ll hear Tracy’s personal career journey, including where her passion for changing perceptions of the insurance industry came from. We will also discuss Tracy’s experience leading AXA’s D&I disclosure campaign and explore what insurance companies can do to improve their D&I reporting.
Tracy starts by telling us about her career journey and her untypical path, which led her to becoming the CEO at three different organisations. Tracy grew up on a council estate in Blackpool, which now has one of the highest poverty rates in the UK.
After leaving school at 17 to look after younger siblings when her mother passed away, Tracy ended up working for someone who changed her life. They supported her practically and emotionally and helped her go back to school to study Business and Finance, alongside holding down her job.
In addition to Tracy’s role as CEO of AXA Health, she is the executive sponsor for diversity and inclusion for AXA UK. She tells us all about the ‘Fair in Five’ campaign launched last March. The campaign encourages employees to share their diversity and inclusion data characteristics. Tracy says that many businesses, not just insurers, have little data on the makeup of their workforce.
Tracy tells us that by having this data and having a baseline, AXA will be able to develop targeted interventions that will help make the workplace fairer and more inclusive.
Tracy is also passionate about changing perceptions of the insurance industry. She says that many have a perception that insurance is dull and really technical, but Tracy explains that insurance is actually really personable.
She wants to inspire and encourage more people to choose insurance as a career path and put the message out there; that you can make a difference to people’s lives by working in the insurance sector, plus have a brilliant career.
One of the ways Tracy believes we can encourage more people to choose insurance as a career is by getting rid of the existing culture of concealment that surrounds people’s backgrounds, which research has shown is very typical in the financial services sector.
“The data would suggest that there are more people, within the higher ranks of the financial services firms, that do have people who have come from a lower socioeconomic background but actually just aren’t comfortable talking about it publicly.”
Tracy adds that this culture of concealment creates this belief that you have to follow a certain path to success. She says that the more role models that we have, that are willing to be open and share the adversity they may have experienced, the more that myths will be dispelled and a wider range of people will believe that that could be them.
Tracy also shares her tips for young people and how best to progress in their career.
Her main big tip: have a plan.
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Key Learning Points:
1. Key lessons from some of the most impactful episodes
2. A look ahead at what is to come for the podcast
3. New Year's resolutions for the financial services sector
For our Christmas episode, we thought we’d do something a bit different. We're pulling back the curtain on the Risky Mix by bringing on the team who help to make happen. We’re thrilled to welcome Josie Clamp and Teah Richardson from Bright Lights to join us as we reflect back on the Risky Mix journey so far and take a look ahead at what’s to come in 2022. These ladies work hard behind the scenes, reaching out to potential guests and managing all of our marketing activity, and of course, Josie was a guest on our podcast for episode 30!
Josie tells us how she has been busy building a solid team, taking on more clients and expanding beyond insurance, and is loving the adventure. When asked about her favourite episode, Josie picks Eilish Jamieson’s episode (49) about showing vulnerability in the workplace and explains that she has tried to apply what it taught her when shaping the Bright Lights culture.
Teah tells us how she struggled to find a job after completing her masters in journalism, especially given the state of the job market mid-pandemic. But in the midst of all the doom-scrolling, she was moved by an encouraging message in a Bright Lights job ad. She applied and has enjoyed working with Josie ever since.
Teah explains that her experience working in insurance has been really positive, helped by the fact that she spends so much time speaking to amazing people who are driving positive change in the industry, thanks to her work on the Risky Mix. Her favourite episode is no. 50, which featured Priscilla Law talking about unconscious bias training.
For the rest of the episode, Teah and Josie turn the table and quiz Katie and Raj, including returning the question about favourite episodes. Katie picks Episode 63, where Chloe Tait and Katy Murray speak about the potential for job sharing to make the world of work more flexible and accessible. Raj opts for Rob Anarfi’s Episode on racial equity and leadership accountability.
When asked about the stand-out learnings from the year, Katie pinpoints Rob Anarfi’s message about creating space for people to make mistakes when talking about race, and Raj highlights Miriam Reason and Eilish Jamieson’s episodes for teaching her so much about the importance of promoting mental wellbeing in the workplace and embracing vulnerability.
After spilling the beans on their dream podcast guests (Ru Paul and Gal Gadot, of course!), Katie and Raj look to the year ahead. Katie shares that she will be taking a step back from hosting the podcast for a few months as she has recently become a first-time mum! While she spends some quality time with beautiful baby Billy, Josie will be stepping in as temporary co-host.
Katie and Raj share that they would like the Risky Mix to continue to be a space for authentic conversations about important topics and that they would like to continue reaching beyond insurance and into financial services more broadly. They see the podcast as a platform for people who are driving change, where positive role models and leaders can share their personal challenges to help make the industry a place that embraces difference and authenticity.
Finally, they set these New Year's resolutions for the financial services industry:
· Wider ethnicity pay gap mandatory reporting
· More embracing of new working styles
· Better support for employee resource groups
· More of an embrace of career transitioners, sideways moves
· Even more support for the career progression of women
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The Key Learning Points:
1.The impact of developing a visual impairment on someone’s life and wellbeing
2.Tell-tale signs that someone has a visual impairment they don't know about
3.How workplaces and insurers can better support people with a visual impairment
Today on the Risky Mix podcast we’re delighted to be joined by Daniel Williams who runs Visualise Training and Consultancy. We’ll be talking about Daniel’s work, campaigning and advocating for inclusion, equality and diversity when it comes to visual impairment, and we’ll be exploring what workplaces can be doing more of to support those with sight loss.
At the age of eight, Daniel was diagnosed with a visual impairment called retinitis pigmentosa. He tells us how, during his teenage years in mainstream education, he was confronted by his friends being able to do things he would never be able to, and he struggled with mental health issues while he was grieving his sight loss.
Daniel explains how the turning point for him was starting a college for the visually impaired, where he had the realisation that there were other people going through the same struggle. He was inspired to see others pursuing careers that he had thought were no longer an option for him. Now, through his own consultancy business, he aims to make the world more inclusive for people with visual impairments by delivering visual awareness training and workplace assessments, and disability awareness training online.
Daniel goes on to tell us that in the UK, alone, there are currently two million people with a visual impairment and around 250 people per day who start losing their sight in some shape or form. There is also an overwhelming number of people who don’t even know that they have a visual impairment. Daniel says that if you notice something isn’t quite right with a colleague, for example, if they are often clumsy, you shouldn’t just dismiss it; you should speak up and suggest they get an eye test.
He then shares how finding out you’re visually impaired can really take an emotional toll, comparable to losing a family member and going through the stages of grief, loss and then acceptance. Daniel says that it makes it even harder to accept if there is no awareness of the help or support available. There are a lot of people out there who, after their diagnosis, simply don’t know what to do next. He adds that there is also a lack of role models, “there aren't many people who are visually impaired and in the public eye where you can think ‘oh they have a really good job’. You think David Blunkett or Stevie Wonder - but not everyone wants to be a politician or a singer.”
For workplaces that want to be more accessible, Daniel explains that they need to go beyond a tick box exercise. They should contact a specialist and engage people that can give them the right advice, information and support, especially as the individual themselves may not actually know what they need. He provides some great examples of small changes that employers can make that take very little time or money but could make a huge difference to someone with limited vision. On the topic of recruitment, he mentions how it is crucial to ensure that websites adhere to web accessibility standards so that people with a visual impairment can access the opportunity in the first place, and also emphasises the power of asking someone if they need any reasonable adjustments made during the onboarding process.
Finally, he explains that, while insurance products like income protection may be providing money to people who have become visually impaired, insurers could be doing more to educate people on the support available and to encourage them to use the payout toward their rehabilitation.
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The Key Learning Points:
1.What mindfulness is and the benefits of it
2.How mindfulness compares to meditation
3.Three tips to help you build mindfulness practice into your daily life
Over the last few weeks, the Risky Mix has been exploring mental wellbeing and on this week’s episode, we’re delighted to welcome back Miriam Reason, founder of Reasonful and mindfulness teacher and wellbeing consultant to talk all things mindfulness! We’ll be going back to basics to understand what it actually is, asking whether it really works, and Miriam will provide her tips on how we can all become that bit more mindful!
We first talk about what mindfulness actually is and how it compares to meditation. Miriam explains “there’s no one way to do mindfulness.” You can be mindful when having your first cup of tea in the morning. “It is just tuning into now, the current moment, your thoughts, your feelings, your emotions.” It’s about not trying to change anything, just noticing what’s there and there’s no pressure, no right or wrong way to do it. She adds that “meditation is one way to be mindful. It’s a type of formal mindfulness”.
We ask Miriam what the benefits are of being more mindful. She explains that it gives us some headspace and distance between us and our thoughts. Research has also shown that mindfulness can promote better sleep, reduce stress, improve symptoms of depression and anxiety, boost self-esteem and improve relationships with others. Miriam adds that of course, not everyone will experience all of these, but she likes to think about mindfulness as putting space between a reaction and a response to certain events: “Reacting is not the same as responding.”
We chat about the various mental health apps that have emerged in the market, and while the merits are clear, Miriam expresses some concerns around the gamified nature of these apps: “I don’t think that is particularly productive.” It helps maintain that cycle of “I must do this, I must enjoy it, it must help me.” For Miriam, it’s about making mindfulness practice work for you, it’s okay not to enjoy it. “It’s a bit like going to the gym for your mind”, sustained commitment to something is what’s needed to see results: “It’s not always going to feel good, but rarely do you regret sitting down and spending that time.”
To round up, Miriam providers her top three tips for people wanting to build mindfulness into their daily routines:
1. Start small, even one minute every few days can help
2. Tune in to your five senses when doing daily tasks, even the washing up!
3. Try different approaches and various apps and classes to find what works for you
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The Key Learning Points:
1.Trends and themes around mental wellbeing, many emerging as a result of the pandemic
2.Lesser-known mental health conditions and the importance of language in tackling stigma
3.Areas where organisations can improve to support their staff around mental health
For the next few weeks on the Risky Mix podcast, we’re going to be exploring mental wellbeing and its impact in the workplace. We’re fortunate to be joined by the founder of Reasonful, Miriam Reason, mindfulness teacher and wellbeing consultant. And in this episode, we’re going to be exploring some of the hot topics around mental health – including the rise in perfectionism, our ‘always on’ culture, the role of technology and we’ll discuss why some of those mental health stigmas simply won’t budge.
Miriam walks us through her career journey, starting out in operations at a large insurer: “I really liked what I was doing but I felt like ‘is there something more out there for me?’”. Miriam has first-hand experience with mental health challenges and was diagnosed with depression and anxiety at age 19. She saw just how important a role her employer and boss played in supporting her recovery, so decided to explore a career move. She went on to complete a Masters at Kings in psychology, neuroscience and mental health and set up Reasonful this year.
We ask Miriam what themes and trends she’s seeing around mental health: “There are a whole host of different things that are coming out, especially since the pandemic. Pre-pandemic, companies and people in general were already starting to be much more open about mental health..but since the pandemic we’re just seeing a lot more conversation about what companies can do to better support their employees.” Miriam explains about the impact of our “always on” culture and the concept of perfectionism. She explains that when we can’t socialise and see friends, which has been the case during the pandemic, social media and the internet become our primary ways to engage with people. So we’re being bombarded with images of perfection and idealised versions of life: “I get the impression that people are reflecting a lot more on what their life means and what drives them.”
We also discuss some of the lesser-known mental health conditions such as eating disorders, OCD, PTSD and personality disorders. “The cost of eating disorders to the UK is astronomical and we’re seeing that that’s gotten much worse during lockdown, particularly in young people.” Miriam also dealt with an eating disorder while working and explains the challenge she faced around receiving treatment because of her weight: “Only 6% of the people who have an eating disorder are actually underweight.”
We ask Miriam about what organisations can be doing to support employees with their mental health:
1. Make sure you have structures that will genuinely support people ie.EAPs, and check what it’s like to actually use those services.
2. Mental Health First Aid programs are useful and a way to empower your teams to get involved.
3. Establish a wellbeing strategy and get creative around mental health.
4. Ensure that leaders and managers lead by example - making time for self-care and being open about their own mental health and showing vulnerability.
5. Don’t shy away from conversations – encourage teams to be open and supportive of those around them in the workplace.
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