High-stress and high-performance professions like healthcare often push people beyond their limits. When this happens, stress and burnout are often the unfortunate consequences. In this episode, Dr Sarah Coope joins us to discuss how to avoid burnout by embracing your capacity. She delves into finding your optimal stretching point for each of your limited resources. Sarah also examines the nature of our fear of saying no. And we explore the consequences and benefits of managing and maintaining y...
Jul 11, 2023•54 min•Ep. 176
You have brilliant ideas and solutions that can make a difference in your work. But how do you get others on board with them? It can be hard to convince others when they have different views and opinions. The thing is, you can’t change someone’s mind without knowing where they are coming from and what matters to them. You have to face it with confidence, grace, patience, and, sometimes, acceptance. In this quick dip episode, we talk about how you can influence anyone by understanding yourself an...
Jul 04, 2023•14 min•Ep. 175
On this episode of You Are Not a Frog, our guest, Corrina Gordon-Barnes, joins us to discuss the challenges working mothers face in traditional family units. The conversation sheds light on the value of self-compassion, learning to navigate negative emotions, and striking a balance between work and family life. This episode is for everyone involved in parenting, not just mothers. It’s not just women who experience mum guilt! For a new perspective on mum guilt and actionable advice for a healthy ...
Jun 27, 2023•56 min•Ep. 174
Disappointing ourselves and others is an awful feeling highlighted by guilt and shame. It can often lead us to act out regretfully as we attempt to mask it. Out of fear of its consequences, we resort to tiptoeing around others. This is most common in the medical field, where people tend to prioritise the needs of other people before their own. It could be why you may have difficulties saying no to people. In this quick dip episode, I will dive into how you can deal with disappointment. Learn to ...
Jun 20, 2023•16 min•Ep. 173
Does it feel like you're in a toxic work environment and can't get out? Too many doctors — both in the UK and elsewhere — find themselves in a whirlwind of work. There's always more to do, and you don't want to imagine the consequences of what happens if you fail. There seems like there's no way out, but the truth is, you always have a choice. In this episode of You Are Not a Frog, Dr Dike Drummond and I dive into a topic that affects many industries but is particularly prevalent in healthcare —...
Jun 13, 2023•59 min•Ep. 172
Life can seem full of threats and stresses we face daily. As high-stress professionals, these types of situations are a part of daily life. All of this can place a great mental load on our brains and trigger our amygdala to not always respond in the best way. That's why it's important to learn how we can reduce these threats and manage our stress. The question now is how can we do this? Picking up where we left off, this quick dip episode dives into the last four factors of the SCARF Model. We l...
Jun 06, 2023•16 min•Ep. 171
Our conditioning has trained us to rely on the egocentric left brain. We often overthink things, even when we have no control over them. But what if we didn't have to accept that this is simply how our brains work? This week, Dr Giles P Croft joins us to discuss his experience of having a TIA that caused his left brain to stop functioning properly. Giles shares what it’s like to access his right brain freely without any worry in mind. We discuss how our thinking left brain often gets in the way ...
May 30, 2023•56 min•Ep. 170
Criticism and feedback are fundamental to growing as an individual and professional. However, often, our brain perceives such conflicts as a threat. The amygdala acts upon this and kicks in our survival instincts. As a result, we check out and shut down to protect ourselves. How do we avoid acting from this place of fear and focus on working toward developing ourselves? In this quick dip episode, we uncover the overarching principle of the amygdala. We discuss how to avoid an amygdala hijack and...
May 23, 2023•13 min•Ep. 169
This week, Jo Watkins, co-founder of The HOW People, joins us to explore entrepreneurial possibilities for doctors without leaving their day jobs. We talk about what holds us back from pursuing a business idea and how you can get started on this journey. We also discuss honing the transferable skills you already have to discover what you'd like to try. If you want to start doing something different in your life and career, listen to our full conversation in this episode of You Are Not a Frog. He...
May 16, 2023•57 min•Ep. 168
As a medical professional, facing high-stress situations every day might make you think you can handle anything. But the truth is, decisiveness isn't always what you want when things go wrong. Not every crisis is the same. Sometimes, the best course of action is to take a step back and come back to the crisis later. In this quick dip episode, we uncover why we become terrible in a crisis, even as healthcare professionals. We explore how we typically react to stressful situations and their conseq...
May 09, 2023•22 min•Ep. 167
How often do you answer honestly when asked are you ok? Many people often say I’m’re ok even when you really aren’t. In truth, we aren’t ok. In today’s world, you’re faced with high-stress jobs, societal pressure and the uncertainty of the new normal. As we come out of the recent crisis, changed and unsure of who we are, it’s harder than ever to be ok. You have to recognize and accept when you’re not ok. In this episode, James Spice joins us for a conversation about what it means to be a human b...
May 02, 2023•55 min•Ep. 166
Do you ever feel like someone else is running your life? Do you find yourself just following a set of instructions in everything you do? Without realising it, we often permit other people to control our lives. It's like living a life we don't enjoy on autopilot without questioning it The thing is, it's not too late to design your own flight plan. You have the power to take control and lead the life you want to live. In this quick dip episode, we highlight the importance of designing our own flig...
Apr 25, 2023•14 min•Ep. 165
Can you keep cool when you receive a complaint about your work? Complaints are part and parcel of every profession. No matter how common they may be and how hard you work to avoid them, the anxiety that you’ll get one is always there. It’s even more nerve-wracking if you work in healthcare. Often, complaints come with threats of referral to a professional regulator. All of a sudden, your career might be on the line. This week, Dr Annalene Weston of Dental Protection Australia joins us to discuss...
Apr 18, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 164
Too often, we say yes to every request and every demand, even when it's not what we want. It's not about people-pleasing. It's about your values. But ask yourself, is it worth it? Is sacrificing your peace and well-being a worthy cost of validating your internal dialogue? In a world that applauds the grind, learning to say no will keep you grounded. Setting boundaries helps you care for yourself. When you care for yourself, you can look after others to the best of your ability. In this quick dip...
Apr 11, 2023•15 min•Ep. 163
How do you make decisions? Is it from a deep place of knowing and intuition? Or is it merely out of fear? Making big decisions (or even small ones) can understandably be stressful and anxiety-inducing. But being stuck in fear-based thinking is a prescription for misery - and for living a life doing stuff you don’t actually want to do. This week, Henri Stevenson, Executive Coach and Shapes trainer, joins us to discuss how to stop making decisions based on fear and anxiety. We break down how many ...
Apr 04, 2023•55 min•Ep. 162
We need boundaries. In fact, you might have already set some of your own. But ask yourself: how often do you let those boundaries crumble? It’s not unusual for professionals in high-stakes industries to give in to other people’s demands, even if it means losing the boundaries they set. That’s not healthy — so why do we do it? In this Quick Dip, we explore the challenges doctors and other professionals face when trying to enforce their boundaries. The problem isn’t in knowing when to say no or wh...
Mar 28, 2023•18 min•Ep. 161
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•55 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•18 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•16 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
