Create Your Kindspace

Daring to Grow and the Power of Self-Coaching with Gemma Burns

Today on Kindspace I’m delighted to introduce you to Gemma Burns, a life coach and author of the book "Dare to Grow." Gemma shares her personal journey, including losing her brother at a young age, becoming a single mother, navigating her career and finding a path to personal growth through coaching. Keep listening to find out more about techniques to identify core values, self-reflect and define those small steps to achieve your goals.

Timestamps:

00:02:17             Gemma's Background and Path to Coaching

00:05:42             Challenges of Balancing Work, Studies, and Motherhood

00:08:51             Developing Study Techniques (Mind Maps, Memorisation)

00:14:41             Exploring Core Values and Self-Reflection

00:20:55             Imposter Syndrome and Accepting Positive Feedback

00:26:07             The Importance of Not Comparing Yourself to Others

00:28:51             Techniques for Goal Setting

00:32:35             Managing Grief and Difficult Life Transitions

00:39:38             Using the "Gap Analysis" Tool to Identify Growth Areas

00:41:43             The GROW Model and WOOP goals

00:47:40             Coaching and Building Resilience

00:57:28             Finding Contentment and Pursuing Passions Like DIY

 

Links:

Website: https://www.lilibetcoaching.com/

Dare to Grow book: https://amzn.to/3QDyWXE

What can I say to Alexa book: https://tltechsmart.com/what-can-I-say-to-Alexa

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gemmaburns-lilibetcoaching/

 

Transcript:

https://createyourkindspace.com/daring-to-grow-and-the-power-of-self-coaching-with-gemma-burns/

Now you might have heard us mention my book and be thinking what book? To support people on the smart home side of our business I’ve created a guide book for the Amazon Alexa smart speakers called “What can I say to Alexa?” Essentially, it’s a reference guide to help people learn about the different Alexa features and commands. If you want to check it out it’s on Amazon, you can type in the book title “What can I say to Alexa?” or just type in something like “Alexa commands” and you should find it in the search results. I’ll also pop a link in the show notes here as well.

As the podcast series continues, I encourage you to get in touch and share your stories and tips, I’d love to hear from you! Pop me an email at caroline@tltechsmart.com or message on social media @createyourkindspace

Stories that Shape Us with Caroline Laurenson

It's not every day that you get the opportunity to share your story and do it on a day as meaningful as International Women's Day. Our life experiences have such a profound way of shaping our future selves and not always in the way that you might expect. There will be amazing people in your life that have gone through things and overcome things that you could never even imagine. I was honoured to share my story and also hear the stories of other brave inspirational women, but in all our stories what came out was how much our own mother's have influenced the women we have become. So this is my story...

Timestamps:

00:01:20             It’s Halloween 1989

00:02:02             The Chaos of Family Life

00:03:32             Leaving Home at 16

00:04:05             My Career as a Chemical Engineer

00:05:01             The Interesting Thing About Fear

00:06:12             Working with Your Other Half

00:07:34             Labels Don’t Define Us

00:09:19             Stories that Shape Us

00:09:53             Finding Kindspace

00:10:27             Honouring My Mum

 

Links:

TL Tech Website: https://www.tltechsmart.com/

Kindspace Website: https://www.createyourkindspace.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caroline-laurenson/

 

Transcript:

https://createyourkindspace.com/stories-that-shape-us-with-caroline-laurenson/

 

As the podcast series continues, I encourage you to get in touch and share your stories and tips, I’d love to hear from you! Pop me an email at caroline@tltechsmart.com or message on social media @createyourkindspace

Understand Brain Health, Sleep and Nutrition with Dr. Clara Doran

Imagine you’ve just become a mum for the first time, but you’re struggling with your health. Appointment after appointment, test after test, you finally get the news you have Multiple Sclerosis. My guest, Dr Clara Doran, opens up about her diagnosis and experience of living with a long-term health condition. She also shares how writing about her feelings and the challenges of becoming the patient instead of the doctor and how has led to her forthcoming memoir, Dr Interrupted. I can’t wait to find out more, so let’s dive in.

Timestamps:

00:02:16             Pursuing Medicine and General Practice

00:03:38             The AccelerateHer Programme's Impact

00:06:13             Doing Scary Things & Funny First Times

00:08:19             Discovering Brain Health and Founding Noggin

00:13:25             Living with Multiple Sclerosis

00:16:41             Sleeping and Newborns

00:19:00             Prioritising Sleep for Brain Health

00:27:51             Nutrition Tips for Better Sleep

00:36:20             The Journey of Writing a Memoir

00:47:03             Creating Kind Spaces through Writing

00:49:54             Looking Ahead: Children's Brain Health Product

 

Links:

Website: https://nogginbrain.co.uk/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NogginTheBrainPeople/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nogginthebrainpeople/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-clara-doran-mbbs-mrcgp-81667958/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nogginbrain/

X: https://twitter.com/NogginPeople

Curtis Brown Writing Courses: https://www.curtisbrowncreative.co.uk/creative-writing-courses

Big Feelings: How to Be Okay When Things Are Not Okay: https://amzn.to/3J5k4gA

The Psychology Mum - A Toolkit for Your Emotions: 45 ways to feel better https://amzn.to/49qZ8Ls

 

Transcript:

https://createyourkindspace.com/understand-brain-health-sleep-and-nutrition-with-dr-clara-doran/

 

Outro:

I think there’s nothing more powerful than when someone takes a life experience and uses that to help others. Dr Clara is one of the most courageous, intelligent and kind people I’ve ever had the honour of meeting. I’m very excited for the book launch and I hope you’ll all get behind her to help broaden the reach of her amazing work helping others through difficult diagnoses and educating us about the importance of brain health.

As the podcast series continues, I encourage you to get in touch and share your stories and tips, I’d love to hear from you! Pop me an email at caroline@tltechsmart.com or message on social media @createyourkindspace

Darren Crombie Bridges the Gap to Support Unpaid Carers

Would you believe it if I told you that unpaid carers do the equivalent of 162 billion pounds of work every year? But despite the vital role that unpaid carers provide, support is significantly lacking and the limited support that there is, can be so hard to navigate. My guest today has made it his mission to bridge this gap. Darren Crombie founded Bridgit Care and his resourcefulness and ability to adapt to the changing technology landscape shines through in our discussion. Keep listening for this fascinating insight into how human-centric tech can empower carers and communities.

Timestamps:

00:02:17             Darren's journey from management consulting to founding Bridgit Care

00:04:49             Why support for unpaid carers matters

00:05:47             Putting lived experience at the heart of Bridgit Care

00:12:34             How Bridgit Care identifies, supports, and connects carers

00:15:54             Partnering with charities and councils to enhance existing carer services

00:17:14             Using WhatsApp and AI personas to provide tailored support and advice

00:25:02             The role of AI in health and social care

00:28:03             Expanding the model to support other communities in need

00:31:08             Pivoting from hardware to software

00:33:43             A day in the life of Darren at Bridgit Care

00:37:35             How does Darren create his kind space?

00:40:49             Where to find out more about Bridgit Care

00:43:07             Supporting other social entrepreneurs

 

Links:

Website: https://bridgit.care/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bridgitcare

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bridgitcare/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bridgitcare

X: https://twitter.com/BridgitCare

Aster Foundation: https://www.aster.co.uk/foundation

Barclay Eagle Labs Health Tech: https://labs.uk.barclays/our-industries/healthtech/

Codebase Techscaler Start-up Support: https://www.techscaler.co.uk/

 

Transcript:

https://createyourkindspace.com/darren-crombie-bridges-the-gap-to-support-unpaid-carers/

If you’d like to be a guest on the show or collaborate on content, I would love to hear from you! Pop me an email at caroline@tltechsmart.com or message me on social media @createyourkindspace

It would also mean a lot to me if you could rate and review this podcast as it helps other people to discover our content.

Dr Jill Williams Helps Us to Find Light After Burnout

In this episode, with the help of the amazing Dr Jill William’s, we delve into the topic of burnout. There are many aspects to burnout. Contrary to popular belief, burnout is not working too hard. It’s about chronic stress and our bodies response to that stress. Often, it’s external factors, which are difficult to influence or resolve. Jill does such a great job of explaining the warning signs for burnout and the simple steps we can take to uptrain our brain to be more resilient to these pressures. And most importantly, make it out the other side.

Timestamps:

00:02:41             Jill’s journey, working in retail to lecturing at university

00:05:57             Experiencing burnout firsthand

00:10:01             Common warning signs

00:12:16             Burnout is multifaceted

00:14:06             Importance of confiding in a trusted coworker

00:15:45             Coming out of burnout with a new perspective

00:17:49             The stages of burnout

00:18:35             Self-employed and entrepreneurs

00:20:06             Jill’s road to recovery

00:20:50             That feeling of disconnect

00:21:38             The importance of taking time out

00:23:52             Peer support is a protective factor

00:25:34             Strategies for prevention

00:26:36             Doing the “opposites”

00:27:22             Societal factors, talking about our life outside work

00:31:50             Creativity and giving your brain space

00:37:50             The concept of rust-out

00:39:30             The uptrained brain

00:42:10             How to approach blocks and negative thinking

00:44:46             Unhelpful behaviours and risk factors

00:45:47             People pleasing

00:47:05             Putting a recovery plan together

00:52:18             Caregiver Burnout

 

00:55:43             How Jill creates her kind space

00:59:07             How to get in touch with Jill

00:59:37             Organisational changes are needed

 

Links:

Jill’s blog about her burnout experience; https://www.rethinktherapyconwy.com/post/if-a-psychologist-can-burn-out-my-personal-story-of-burnout

Uptrained Brain course & Book a discovery call with Jill: https://www.rethinktherapyconwy.com/uptrainedbrain

Free Recovery from Burnout Guide: https://www.rethinktherapyconwy.com/blog/categories/burnout-work-related-stress

Nick Petrie resources: https://www.nicholaspetrie.com/blog-1

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheUptrainedBrain

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-jill-williams-92a907255/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uptrainedbrain/

X: https://twitter.com/UptrainedBrain

 

Transcript:

https://createyourkindspace.com/dr-jill-williams-helps-us-to-find-light-after-burnout/

If you’d like to be a guest on the show or collaborate on content, I would love to hear from you! Pop me an email at caroline@tltechsmart.com or message me on social media @createyourkindspace

It would also mean a lot to me if you could rate and review this podcast as it helps other people to discover our content.

Let’s kick off 2024 with special guest… me!

Hi, it's Caroline here. This episode will be a little bit different. There's no guest. It's just me having a bit of a reflection.

There are many reasons for doing a look back, both for the podcast and for the year that's just passed. I thought this would be a good opportunity for you to get to know me a bit and learn a bit more about Kindspace and its origins. I also really wanted to have a quiet Christmas without any pressure to create or have to do any work.

Ah, but isn't it funny, you know, when you give yourself some downtime, just be bored and potter around and that's actually when you can be your most creative.  I don't know if anyone else finds that but certainly my brain. seems to come alive with ideas. And I'm like, no, do nothing. Watch Netflix. So I hope you were able to switch off over the festive period and are feeling recharged and ready for 2024.

Timestamps:

00:00:40             Introduction to this slightly different episode

00:01:45             Did you miss our Tech the Halls bonus episode?

00:03:04             How did Kindspace come to be?

00:08:27             Why did I decide to start the podcast?

00:12:21             Who have we had on the show so far?

00:22:06             How do I feel about the podcast for the year ahead?

00:25:06             Do you have a word of the year for 2024?           

 

Links:

Website: https://www.createyourkindspace.com/

 

Transcript:

https://createyourkindspace.com/lets-kick-off-2024-with-special-guest-me/

If you’d like to be a guest on the show or collaborate on content, I would love to hear from you! Pop me an email at caroline@tltechsmart.com or message me on social media @createyourkindspace

It would also mean a lot to me if you could rate and review this podcast as it helps other people to discover our content.

Tech the Halls Festive Bonus Episode

If you caught the last episode you will have heard that as part of an event series we've been running in December, we'd decided to go with the theme of Tech the Halls. We've had a great time with students coming along to shadow the set-up for the venue, school pupils helped us to create smart home prototypes, we've had people from the third sector along to learn about the ways that smart homes can support wellbeing and healthy ageing, we did a lunch and learn all about the energy efficiency and environmental side of smart homes and on the last day, we went to town with festive light displays and a workshop where people could create their own programmable LED light wreath for the holiday season.

So here it is, as promised, Tech the Halls, written and performed by me Caroline Laurenson. I hope that you have the most amazing Christmas, and know that I am here for you, Kindspace is here for you and we will see you in the New Year. Enjoy!

Tech the Halls

Tech the halls with LED lights, Fa la la la la, la la la la!

Tis the season joyous and bright, Fa la la la la, la la la la!

Turn on the fairy lights at a word, Fa la la la la, la la la la!

Ask Alexa for music preferred, Fa la la la la, la la la la!

 

See the smart home support your needs, Fa la la la la, la la la la!

Automate the heating degrees, Fa la la la la, la la la la!

Stock up now, don't delay, Fa la la la la, la la la la!

Let me show you tech's array, Fa la la la la, la la la la!

 

As the old year closes in, Fa la la la la, la la la la!

Await the new year to begin, Fa la la la la, la la la la!

Sing we now of tech with glee, Fa la la la la, la la la la!

Smarter homes for you and me! Fa la la la la, la la la la!

 

 

Discover the Healing Power of Singing with Xann Schwinn

So, here’s a funny story for you. When I was at school, the big rumour that went round was that I had a record contract. I have literally no idea where this came from, however if it had of been true it really would have been a dream come true. Singing has always been a big part of me, but sensible Caroline decided to become an engineer as this seemed like a more reliable way to make a living. My guest today has not only devoted her career to music but made the leap into entrepreneurship to create a digital platform that allows others to harness the benefits of singing.

 

Timestamps:

00:02:28             Meet Xann

00:04:26             Biiah – a new way to promote workplace wellbeing

00:13:07             The holistic benefits of singing

00:16:49             Overcoming barriers, the "good voice" myth

00:19:47             Practical tips for using your voice

00:25:38             Scientific research into the benefits of singing

00:26:55             Gender stereotypes mean men are missing out

00:30:38             You don’t need to be able to read music

00:36:14             Circle singing and improvisation

00:38:28             The magic of music at Christmas

00:41:52             Local singing opportunities

00:44:13             How Xann looks after her wellbeing

00:51:20             Where to find out more about Biiah

 

Links:

Website: https://biiah.com/

Email: xann@biiah.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/xann-schwinn/ and https://www.linkedin.com/company/biiah-official/

Articles: https://biiah.com/resource-hub/ and https://biiah.com/2022/08/24/singing-for-wellness/

 

For the full transcript of this episode see: https://createyourkindspace.com/podcast

I encourage you to get in touch and share your stories and tips, I’d love to hear from you! Pop me an email at caroline@tltechsmart.com or message on social media @createyourkindspace

It would also mean a lot to me if you could rate and review this podcast as it helps other people to discover our content.