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Dark Coffee Podcast

Starting brave and bullshit-free conversations around mental health and wellbeing.

Our success at work isn't just about getting our f

Our success at work isn't just about getting our foot in the door...

...it's about what happens when we're actually in the room.

Are you included in conversations?

Are you listened to?

Are you given enough resources to be able to do your job well?

Are you given opportunities, support and even basic respect?

But when it comes to conversations around disability, too often, businesses will focus on ACCESSIBILITY rather than INCLUSION.

This week on the podcast, I speak with Rachael Mole, aka @thesicceo from @sicofficial.co.uk about how we can work towards creating truly inclusive work cultures.

And how we can ALL benefit when we do this.

Get ready for bombshells aplenty from this powerhouse human 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

🎧 Listen through the link in my bio, or search Mind Over Grind wherever you stream

Ep.93 - How to create a truly inclusive work culture where everyone can thrive

- Alice 🦁

#newpodcastepisode
#podcast
#inclusioninwork
#wellbeinginwork
#accessibilityandinclusion
#inclusiveworkculture
#workplacewellbeing

As a purveyor of non-wanky wellbeing, I'm reclaimi

As a purveyor of non-wanky wellbeing, I'm reclaiming the phrase 'self-care' from the wellness crowd.

It's not about meditating in a silent retreat for 10 weeks.

It's not about doing yoga for 6 hours before you juice cleanse your rectum.

(Although you do you...)

More often it's about getting the basics right.

Like, ACTUALLY DOING THEM.

😊 Consider this your Monday nudge to get those fundamentals in place.

Even if you can't be arsed or don't want to.

You'll thank me later 💛

- Alice ☕️

#nonwankywellbeing
#wellbeingatwork
#selfcare
#wellbeingforbusinessowners
#businessownerwellbeing
#unfilteredwellbeing
#bsfreewellbeing
#bsfreebusiness
#wellbeingtips
#wellbeingcoach

😞 I almost didn't go to my graduation because I

😞 I almost didn't go to my graduation because I didn't want my parents to realise I didn't have any friends to have a photo with.

My mental health plummeted over those 3 years I spent at uni, leading to suicide ideation by the age of 21.

Loneliness means feeling a lack of connection to the people around you.

🙁 You might feel that people don't understand you, or see the 'real you.'

😞 That you don't have people that care about you.

😣 Or that you're surrounded by people but still feel isolated.

It's a truly horrible, debilitating feeling.

So, what can we do to counteract it?

👇🏼 Here's what worked for me:

⚡️1. MAKE IT A PRIORITY TO FIND YOUR PEOPLE⚡️

😞 I couldn't find anyone I related to at uni

💛 But instead of trying to make people love me, I put time and effort into reconnecting with the friends I had in school and college.

⚡️2. ACTIVELY TRY TO MAKE FRIENDS⚡️

😅 Man this is awkward as a grownup, isn't it?!

Kids are so great at running up to each other in a playground and immediately clicking.

And I took inspiration from that simple approach when it came to growing my network up North.

(Cause I thought it was a great idea to move to Manchester with no job and no friends 🙄)

👋🏻 I've lost count of the number of times I've connected with somone on LinkedIn and just sent a dm saying 'you seem cool - can we be friends?'

👍🏼Simple (and maybe a bit weird) but effective!

⚡️3. FOCUS ON QUALITY OVER QUANTITY⚡️

🙄 The metric-heavy realm of social media sells us the story that more = better

💛 But when it comes to social connections, the QUALITY of our relationships is more important than the quantity.

😞 Feeling lonely can feel CRUSHING in the moment.

Especially over an extended period of time.

You might feel like you're doing something wrong, that you're an outsider, or that you're basically unlikeable.

But please take it from someone who has been there before:

💛 You are NOT alone.

-----

Have you experienced loneliness as an adult?

👇🏼 I'd love you to share what you did to counteract it.

Maybe it'll help someone who is going through this in real time 🙂

- Alice ☕️

😅 Possibly the most brutal advice you'll hear t

😅 Possibly the most brutal advice you'll hear today

But it doesnt make it any less true: when it comes to the content we create for our businesses, we need to take the emotion out of it.

Let me explain....

Friend of the podcast Lewis Kemp is CEO of @lightbulbmediauk - a bullshit-free creative agency based here in Manchester.

Suffice it to say, he knows his shit when it comes to social media.

We sat down to record an episode of Mind Over Grind about how business owners can stay sane on social media

😖 with all the noise

😫 the comparisonitis

😭 and pressure

This was one of his best pieces of advice:

📢 TAKE THE EMOTION OUT OF IT

No matter how EMOTIVE the issues, products or services we're selling might be, we NEED to be able to remove our own emotions from the production process.

Otherwise, you could spend too much time up in your own head, rather than finding the audience who need to hear what you could tell them.

😅 I could bang this drum all day, but I'll let Lewis take it from here.

🎧 Treat yourself to a listen over the bank holiday through the link in my bio @darkcoffeeco or search 'Mind Over Grind' wherever you stream.

- ☕️ Alice

#podcast #newpodcastepisode #bullshitfreebusiness #businessownerlife #marketingtips #contenttips #contentmarketing #content #selfemployed #bsfree #wellbeinginwork #howtostaysane

😅 Only a psychologist could make a crisis seem

😅 Only a psychologist could make a crisis seem appealing.

🙌🏼 And not just any psychologist... Helen Carouzos has over 20 years experience in her craft, has helped everyone form sportspeople to CEOs.... and was my rock and therapist during lockdown

🎙We sat down last week to discuss the cost-of-living crisis in the UK

😑 I'll be honest.... I was feeling DEFEATED before I went into that conversation.

😔 Overwhelmed by all the stats that I'd been reading

😔 distressed with the thought of how it's going to affect millions of lives

😔 and feeling hopeless about how we'll collectivly get through the situation

⛅️ Then Helen rocks up like sunshine after a storm to make everything feel a bit less shit!

She validated all of my concerns and explained that it's natural to feel that way...

... AND explained that there are still positives to be found - even in this bleakest of bleak situations.

🕯there can be opportunities

🕯there are glimmers of hope

🕯 and there are choices we can make to take back control of the situation

😏 Did someone say 'revolution?'....

🎧 Episode 91 of the podcast - 'How to cope with the cost-of-living crisis - advice from a therapist' is available now

🎧 Listen now through the link in our bio [@darkcoffeeco] or search 'Mind Over Grind' wherever you stream.

- Alice ☕️

#newpodcastepisode
#costofliving
#costoflivingcrisisuk
#costoflivingcrisis
#therapistadvice
#advicefromatherapist
#mindovergrind
#mindovergrindpodcast
#unfilteredwellbeing

😞 I'm not promising a life of infinite happines

😞 I'm not promising a life of infinite happiness (sorry)

But this simple hack can help:

👉🏼 calm you down

👉🏼 boost your mood

👉🏼 and appreciate where you are

Not bad for a 5-minute life hack

💊 "what is this magic pill?" You ask...

💛 G R A T I T U D E

Yup. It's that basic.

Just spending a few minutes thinking about what and who you're grateful for can calm your nervous system, stop overthinking, reduce feelings of jealousy... the list goes on.

👇🏼 give it a go - what are you grateful for today?

- Alice ☕️

#happinesshack
#gratitide
#wellbeingcoach
#wellbeingatwork
#stressmanagement

☹️ Feeling glum, chum? As much as it may be d

☹️ Feeling glum, chum?

As much as it may be due to external circumstances, I'm willing to bet there's a fair amount of self-diickery in there as well.

Don't be a sad Keanu -

💛 do something nice for yourself this weekend. Even if it's just half an hour to read a book, cook something delicious, or play a game of 'guess what fucking season it is.'

- ☕️ Alice

#sadkeanu

#weekend

#wellbeing

#unfilteredwellbeing

#wellbeingtip

Ending a week feeling worse than you started it ca

Ending a week feeling worse than you started it can feel incredibly frustrating: here is my top tip for how you can turn it around:

DON'T.

Life fluctuates.

You're not always going to feel a continual sense of progress.

I know on here it can sometimes feel like everyone's hiring, winning an award, or filling their diaries with ideal clients.

But I promise there are more people silently struggling to pay their mortgage, wondering where the next client is going to come from, cracking on with the minutiae of everyday life or trying to get their mental health to play nicely.

We can certainly still find things to be grateful for in these moments.

(For instance, I'm on day 4 of Covid and have been taking full advantage of food deliveries and afternoon naps.)

But we don't need to force progress at every turn.

Permission to be ill.

To be grumpy.

To feel frustrated.

To finish your week feeling like you've gone two steps backwards.

Because you're human, not perfect.

- ☕️ Alice

#nogressisprogress #fridaymood #mentalfitness #mentalhealth #mentalhealthinwork #realtalk #wellbeingunfiltered