It’s the time of year when the hedge at the front of my garden seems to be going wild and I need to spend time pruning and pulling out creepers and brambles. Always a tough half a day, cutting back brambles with mammoth prickles, ready to tear hands to shreds if not carefully handled and … Continue reading Are brambles and ivy getting in the way of your growth? →

None of you will have failed to notice the flurry of emails and correspondence informing you of important changes to data protection law. How others manage your personal information is important and in this digital age we need to feel assured that our information is in good hands. Here at The Wellbeing Collective, we too … Continue reading Panic at the ‘GDPR’ Disco →

The news that one STP area is struggling with Board behaviour to such an extent that they’ve had to ban certain behaviours may be greeted with a wry smile by anyone in the NHS – or amongst its partners - who can picture the scene and recognise the mindset? The image of a dysfunctional STP … Continue reading Partnership – why so difficult? →

I have written a few blogs now and see my blog spot coming up in my calendar for the next week. In moments of down time I find myself mulling over – What can I write about this week? ….. Hmm …. Nothing is coming to mind.  I got to thinking, I have a task … Continue reading Drawing a blank →

I was sat with a friend having a relaxing cream tea, both of us sharing how nice it is to have achieved a point in our lives when we have a bit more freedom and time for a little self-indulgence. The cream tea was a treat towards the end of a busy week – hey- … Continue reading Afternoon Tea →

Last week, I delivered an Appreciative Inquiry workshop for a group of staff and service users who had come together to consider how they would deliver a seemingly impossible agenda around mental health equality. Appreciative Inquiry, as some of you know, is a way of identifying the ‘best of what is’ and discovering assets within … Continue reading Be bold, be provocative, be out there! →

Having spent many years working in the NHS, I am now on the outside looking in. On a number of recent occasions, as I work with health care staff, the term firefighting has cropped up. This seems to be an increasingly used metaphor for people feeling the heat coming from different directions and, at times, … Continue reading If firefighting is the new norm →

Have you ever doubted your achievements, putting them down to luck, timing or the efforts of other people, rather than believing they are really due to your own skills, abilities and effort? You may be aware that in its most persistent form this is called ‘Imposter Syndrome’ - this is when we find it hard … Continue reading I’m an Imposter get me out of here. →

I reluctantly agreed to write the Wellbeing Collective blog for the week and then wondered why I had actually agreed to it. Pen (or lap top) to hand, I started to try to jot down some thoughts but nothing was coming to mind. Definitely a different approach needed, but what approach I ask?! Recently within … Continue reading It’s all about sails! →

A couple of weeks ago I went skiing for the first time in my nearly 50 years. I’m not sure what make me decided to try it, I think it has something to do with reaching a milestone, but also a curiosity about what it would be like to hurtle down a hill, on a … Continue reading New challenges! →