Secrets from a Coach podcast: Protecting ourselves from burnout

The Secrets from a Coach podcast hosted by wellness coach Debbie Green at Wishfish and TEDx speaker Laura Thomson-Staveley at Phenomenal Training has kicked off the year by setting motivating goals and honing an optimistic mindset in January, working smarter and being effective in a hybrid working world in February, and how to manage feeling burnt out and overwhelmed in March. Each episode gives practical tips and techniques to help you be your best. 

Debbie Green, wellness coach and podcast host, said: “Our podcast topics give listeners a sense of resilience, kindness and optimism about the year ahead. We’re only in month three of a new year and already regularly hearing the words ‘burnt out’ and ‘overwhelmed’. We want to shine a light on the struggles many of us are facing daily and explore how we can protect ourselves and others from experiencing this at work and home. Too many of us forget to make the most out of our year, and we talk about why it’s so important to stop and think about what we want to achieve. By listening to our podcasts, we want our listeners to thrive, not just survive.”

January: Motivating goals & optimistic mindsets

The Secrets from a Coach team kicks off the year by taking a dive into how best to set motivating goals that focus on the opportunities all around us. By adopting an optimistic mindset, we can overcome any challenges that our own personal saboteurs want to throw our way. 

The key to creating great goals is to first establish where you are now and where you want to be.  Then with a plan you can break down your overarching goals into smaller, manageable tasks to tackle one at a time. 

Having an optimistic mindset and a can-do approach helps you strive towards your goals. An abundance mindset points the focus to growth and success, rather than limitations and obstacles. So, if along the way we’re faced with an obstacle we can view it as an opportunity for learning and innovation, so we can approach our goals with confidence and positivity. 

February: Effective hybrid working

In February, Debs and Lau explored how we can be effective in a hybrid working world, manage our time efficiently and get the best out of ourselves and our teams. Time management has always been a ‘hot’ topic. Now more than ever being able to navigate our way through a mixture of in-person and virtual worlds is a skill we all need to master as it becomes our new normal. 

It’s important to establish a daily routine that incorporates both remote and in-office work hours. Knowing what time you can allocate to key activities, such as meetings, focused work and breaks (super important to remember!) will help you to thrive. Empowering yourself to set boundaries, communicating your intentions when it comes to your schedule, availability and progress on tasks is key. 

Special guest, Kate Maddison-Greenwell shares her research which suggests 76% of managers do not feel equipped with the skills for hybrid working. Balancing flexibility with the need to align and organise a team, Kate shares her framework which sums up the best practices that enable hybrid success. A must listen.

March: How to avoid burnout

Shining a light on burnout and overwhelm in March, the team explores how you can protect yourself and others from experiencing it. They discuss how to stay mentally well when your workload is high and how to have proactive conversations around workload.

Special guest, Alexis Neighbour, shares her observations about burnout indicators and measures to overcome them. It’s important to identify tasks that are overwhelming, understanding your priorities and being clear on what’s expected of you in your role.

The art of delegation and how it can significantly help alleviate overwhelm is discussed too. Prioritising our wellbeing and productivity starts with gathering the information that identifies what work may be able to be distributed among others. Being able to delegate less critical tasks to others means you’re able to focus on your priorities.  

Lasting a snackable 30 minutes, making it ideal for the commute, lunch break or even a well-deserved break for self-care and development, Secrets from a Coach offers practical learning based on current realities. A brand-new episode is published every Friday lunchtime, focusing on positive actions to help you thrive and maximise your potential in the ever-evolving workplace, and in life.

Tune in to Secrets from a Coach podcast – via Spotify or Buzzsprout.