No one wants to burn out. When you experience burnout, you might find yourself thinking much more slowly and your productivity drops. Many high-stress professionals often feel guilty and ashamed for struggling with burnout. Unfortunately, the demanding and high-stress environment these days makes burnout much more likely to happen again and again. So what can you do to avoid experiencing burnout in the future? In this episode, Dr Claire Ashley joins us for a conversation about the very real issu...
Mar 21, 2023•54 min•Ep. 160
What criteria do you use when prioritising the tasks on your to-do list? Do you just put them in the order you get them? Maybe you pick the ones that seem the most urgent? Here’s an alternative: do the ones that are the easiest first. Not everything worth doing needs to be difficult! In this quick dip episode, we talk about the reality of our limits. In a high-stress job, getting everything done in one day is nearly impossible. And that's okay! What's important is putting your focus where you ca...
Mar 14, 2023•18 min•Ep. 159
Professor Chloe Orkin & Dr Nuthana Bhayankaram of the Medical Women's Federation join us in this episode to discuss sexism in medicine. We share first-hand experiences and explore why it remains a glaring issue today. We then discuss some strategies for action and what we can do to improve things. If you want to know what the glass ceiling, glass cliff, and glass slippers are and how to avoid them, listen to our entire conversation in this You Are Not a Frog episode. Here are three reasons w...
Mar 07, 2023•50 min•Ep. 158
When you're dealing with a stressful situation, your first instinct might be to act immediately to solve it. Unfortunately, acting immediately often means you don't think your actions through. Acting rashly can worsen the situation, making it even more stressful. Fortunately, there's a better way to respond to stress. All you have to do is take a few seconds to press the pause button. In this quick dip episode of You Are Not a Frog, you'll discover the power of pressing pause in the middle of a ...
Feb 27, 2023•17 min•Ep. 157
For high-stress professionals like us, one of the biggest obstacles to making a change in our lives or pursuing our great ideas is time. You might feel overwhelmed by the change you want to make or afraid of what other people would say. It's your choice not to let these reasons stop you from changing your life. Robbie Swale changed his life by using 12 minutes of his week. He joins us in this conversation to discuss an amazing realisation he had: you can achieve so much by taking a little bit of...
Feb 21, 2023•49 min•Ep. 156
As healthcare professionals, we know what we need to do for our physical and mental well-being. So why aren’t we doing it? Often, the first thing we give up when we get busier is something that makes our lives happier. We've normalised giving up our basic needs to make room for productivity. No one bats an eye at it anymore. But is living your one shot at life like this really worth it at the end of the day? In this quick dip episode, we talk about the one thing you can do right now for your wel...
Feb 14, 2023•13 min•Ep. 155
Whether we like it or not, meetings are essential in running an organisation. But when was the last time you attended a meeting without feeling bored? Meetings are supposed to help us get work done more effectively. It's an opportunity for us to raise issues and make important decisions. But despite their importance, very few of them are done well. How, then, can we transform our meetings from bad and boring to helpful and interesting? Dr Carrie Goucher joins us in this episode to discuss the ba...
Feb 07, 2023•53 min•Ep. 154
Do you constantly feel guilty about unfinished tasks at the end of the day? Do you keep finding yourself wanting to improve how you manage your time? Your to-do list is not a fixed and immovable bucket. It’s a river of opportunities that you have a choice and control over. How would you choose what things to fish out of this river wisely? In this quick dip episode, we discuss shifting our mindset about our to-do list from a bucket to a river. We only have a limited amount of time in the world. I...
Jan 31, 2023•18 min•Ep. 153
Why is it that doctors work themselves to the point of burnout and stress and making themselves sick? In a system that seems to demand perfectionism in healthcare workers, medical professionals aim for impossibly high standards. What happens when they can't meet the standards they set for themselves? Dr Sandy Miles joins us in this episode to explore the concept of shame and how we respond to it. She also explains why shame breeds perfectionism in healthcare workers. After explaining the concept...
Jan 24, 2023•55 min•Ep. 152
Everyone praises those who work hard — so it’s not unusual for people to think that it’s good to push your limits and do as much as you can. But what’s the best thing to do when you’re tired and exhausted? Should you see how far you can go, or take a break? In this short episode, we discuss embracing our limits as a choice. With so many things out of control, we need to discern when to take a rest because work will never stop for us. We also discuss how you can start to recognise warning signs. ...
Jan 16, 2023•15 min•Ep. 151
Convince change to happen. You've got great ideas for change. It's just a matter of putting these plans into motion. However, change needs to be something where everyone works together. You can't just tell someone to do this or that. Because of this, change can be a challenge. But don't let this discourage you! With the right message and space for a conversation, you can convince the people around you to make change happen. In this episode of You Are Not a Frog, Toby Moore joins us for a convers...
Jan 09, 2023•45 min•Ep. 150
How have you been living your life so far? Most of us have worked hard all our lives to be successful. Whilst hard work is commendable, it can start to define your life. Instead, how about we try to work happier so that we can find fulfillment in everything we do. In this quick dip episode, Rachel talks about what to do when working harder isn’t working anymore. She explains why working harder is actually counterproductive and why it can fail us. Rachel also shares simple but powerful tips to fl...
Jan 03, 2023•19 min•Ep. 149
The stress and worry we felt during the pandemic didn’t disappear in 2022. As medical practitioners, having a myriad of problems and uncertainties on our plate has simply become part of the job. But after over a hundred episodes, our conversations here at You Are Not A Frog have shown that we can make choices that help us to cope with and even overcome stress, anxiety and worry. So let’s wrap up another fantastic year by rediscovering the best bits of our podcast episodes on stress and worry. We...
Dec 27, 2022•45 min•Ep. 148
As trained medical professionals, we are confident about our technical skills and our ability to work harder than most professions. But are we truly confident and happy about our lives and careers? Every day is a whirlwind at our workplace, and we need to learn how to build confidence, take a step back and be compassionate to ourselves. Every day, we can learn something new. Not just about the technical aspects of our work, but also about ourselves, our emotions, and well-being. In this episode ...
Dec 20, 2022•53 min•Ep. 147
Do you look forward to Christmas holidays or other family celebrations only to be disappointed that reality is not what you had hoped it would be? Or has life not worked out as expected, and you're struggling with regrets and disappointment? How do we deal with feeling disappointed, especially with the upcoming holidays? In this 2022 Christmas Special of You Are Not A Frog, executive coach and relationship expert Corrina Gordon-Barnes joins us to explain several approaches to dealing with life's...
Dec 13, 2022•56 min•Ep. 146
What is your first thought when you think of the word ‘resilience’? For many professionals and organisations, this means becoming superhuman — someone who can do anything despite the stress, heavy workload, and emotions. Not only is this perspective wrong, but it’s also impossible! We’re all human. So why do we expect perfection? In this episode, Rachel dives into the concept of resilience victim blaming and how you’re led to think it’s your fault when you can’t perform superhuman standards. Res...
Dec 06, 2022•15 min•Ep. 145
How do you feel about your job? Do you enjoy all aspects of your work? Do you sometimes wish you could make it better? The demands in healthcare make it almost impossible to remove the constant pressure surrounding the job. What follows risks burnout. But with the right combination of resources, support, and an innovative mindset, employees can craft jobs in ways that will make them feel happier at work. In this panel discussion episode of You Are Not a Frog, we ask Kirsten Armit, Dr Colin Linds...
Nov 29, 2022•48 min•Ep. 144
We often think stress and burnout are normal. However, anyone who has experienced extreme pressure can tell you that too much stress is bad for our health and performance. Our physiological reactions to stress are normal. Despite this, we continue to blame ourselves if we cannot cope with it. In this quick tip episode, Rachel shares how doctors and other individuals in demanding jobs see stress as ‘normal’ and how it impacts our health. When you’re burning out, stop blaming yourself and start be...
Nov 22, 2022•19 min•Ep. 143
Many professionals in high-stress careers can find themselves working long hours every day and not growing wealthier. No matter how much you do or how many hours you add, you find yourself trapped in a cycle of work and finances. Getting out of this trap is difficult when you don't know the financial decisions you need to make. You'll find practical steps on controlling your finances so that they don't control you: earn more and spend less. Dr Tommy Perkins joins us for a conversation about mone...
Nov 15, 2022•49 min•Ep. 142
Do you sometimes find yourself thinking that you don’t have a choice? Your circumstances and obligations seem to prevent you from taking any course of action except for one. But the thing is, we always have a choice. We choose all the time. Life is made up not of the big choices we have to make but of the little, compounding choices we make on a daily basis. So what choice will you make today? You choose. In this You Are Not a Frog Quick Dip, Rachel delves into choice. She shares the one thing h...
Nov 08, 2022•17 min•Ep. 141
We're all guilty of eating our feelings from time to time. It can happen to anyone for any reason — a bad day at work, a stressful time at home, a plan falling short. We start emotional eating because eating is an inherently satisfying activity—and it must be! You feel good when you eat things you like. However, the problem arises when this is our only coping mechanism for dealing with difficult situations. Learning how to stop emotional eating can help us break or prevent unhealthy eating habit...
Nov 01, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 140
Learning to manage your emotions is a crucial skill. No matter the situation, letting your emotions get the best of you doesn't typically end well. However, that doesn't mean we should shut our feelings down. Instead, it's best to identify and analyse them first, then take action. In this quick episode of You Are Not A Frog, I discuss difficult, negative emotions and how to handle them. We tackle what these emotions are and understand why we get them. I will also give tips on discerning whether ...
Oct 25, 2022•17 min•Ep. 139
Does having a healthy work-life balance seem so unattainable that you’ve given up trying to acheive it? Work takes up most of our time, leaving only spare time for our other commitments. Maybe you have tried doing everything at once, only to end up resentful. This may be because you’re aiming for the impossible. Dr. Claire Kaye joins us in this episode to discuss why we should never aim for work-life balance, and why you should aim for life balance. We talk about the importance of prioritizing y...
Oct 18, 2022•48 min•Ep. 138
Rachel gives a quick tip on facing shark music in this short episode of You Are Not a Frog. She shares her experiences of anticipating the worst-case scenario. She talks about why we hear 'shark music' in the first place and shares two quick steps you can take to stop it. It's time to stop assuming the worst and enjoy your life without shark music playing in the background. Tune in to this episode to hear Rachel’s quick tips on expecting the best and getting rid of your negative assumptions — th...
Oct 11, 2022•13 min•Ep. 137
In this episode, Angela Deutschmann joins us to talk about how to experience joy despite the challenges of the healthcare profession. Being in a high-stress job can make you mistake happiness about external things with internal joy. Angela talks about how to reprogram your unconscious mind and find joy and satisfaction in your everyday life. She also discusses the difference between caring for and carrying out other people's suffering. If you want to rekindle your joy within and learn how to bec...
Oct 04, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 136
In this short episode, Rachel talks about becoming more productive in life and work by escaping the urgency trap. She discusses the principles of the Urgent-Important Matrix and how it can help us assess the urgency and importance level tasks. She then shares how to begin doing gradual deep work towards a bigger goal. If you want to know how to escape the urgency trap and become more productive in life and work, stay tuned to this episode. Here are three reasons why you should listen to the full...
Sep 27, 2022•14 min•Ep. 135
In this episode, Jane Gunn joins us once again to share her advice on how you can say no. Most people don’t want to hear rejection. Jane talks about what you can do to avoid triggering others with what you say. Avoid a cycle of conflict by taking your time to respond and not react. She also discusses the many fears you might have as a professional saying no. Learn to set your boundaries and maintain them when you know how to say no. If you’re worried about how your refusal or rejection might cau...
Sep 20, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 134
In this episode, Rachel talks about how you can distinguish the tigers in your life and better understand why we respond to them in the first place. She shares the four common immediate responses and how they often put us in a mindset for bad decisions. Whenever we meet a threat or irritation, we need to step back and ask, "is it a tiger?" If you would like a quick tip on staying calm in the face of irritations and make better decisions even in the heat of staring down a tiger, stay tuned to thi...
Sep 13, 2022•17 min•Ep. 133
Gerrie Hawes joins us in this episode to discuss the suffocating feeling of being overwhelmed, but also how to deal with it. She shares why it's important to enjoy work and how you can take control of your happiness to do so. Learn from Gerrie what you can do when you realize you are overwhelmed. She shares how you can create a happier and more optimistic workplace for your team. If you’re feeling overwhelmed and want to learn what you can do to feel better, tune in to this episode that’s just f...
Sep 06, 2022•54 min•Ep. 132
Are you facing a challenge at the moment, or feeling like you could do with some guidance when it comes to choosing your direction? Then our final Summer replay is for you. Discover the power of self-coaching, including the framework and questions to guide you on your self-coaching journey. Episode 117 Podcast links Sign up for the FREE Summer Holiday Working Survival Guide ! Sign up here for a free self-coaching toolkit ! Check out the Permission to Thrive CPD membership for doctors Sign up now...
Aug 30, 2022•53 min
