We all love a good book, don’t we?

I first read ‘Lost Connections’ by Johann Hari shortly after it was published in 2018. I’ve revisited it a few time since.

The subtitle reads: “Uncovering the real causes of depression – and the unexpected solutions”. It was the latter part that first caught my attention. I was curious about the ‘unexpected solutions’.

The book charts Hari’s own quest for a better way to deal with his own lifelong struggle with depression. He challenges the idea that depression is simply an imbalance of chemicals in the brain that need treatment with drugs.

His research takes him around the world to a wide variety of people and situations and his conclusion is that depression is caused by disconnection. Specifically, there are nine causes or depression and anxiety:

1. Disconnection from meaningful work
2. Disconnection from other people
3. Disconnection from meaningful values
4. Disconnection from childhood trauma
5. Disconnection from status and respect
6. Disconnection from the natural world
7. Disconnection from a hopeful or secure future
8. Genetic factors
9. Brain changes

Having identified the lost connections, Hari goes on to explore effective means of reconnecting and regaining mental health. It’s a fascinating book and I found it quite uplifting – the realisation that we can treat depression with social solutions as opposed to pharmacological ones has got to be good news, right?

In this episode Wilma and I are talking about what makes it hard – or easy – for people to open up about their vulnerabilities and about some of the differences in the ways men and women experience this challenge.

 

 

I’m not a great fan of tv.  I spend more time reading than watching tv but every now and again something comes along that grabs my attention…

The first series of ‘Freddie Flintoff’s Field of Dreams’ was both enjoyable and moving.  The second series is even better.  If you’ve already watched it you’ll know how totally inspirational it is.  If you haven’t, you’re in for a treat…

Even if you have never watched cricket and have no idea of the significance of Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff, this is for you.  If you are a leader, a parent, a coach or teacher it’s worth a few hours of your time to watch the whole series.

Despite his incomplete recovery from the horrific car accident that almost claimed his life, Flintoff takes his team of cricket misfits on tour to India.  They are all – including Flintoff – outside of their comfort zones at times but the boys rally around each other, giving support and finding friendship in the most unlikely situations.  This is real-life leadership in all its messy and complicated glory.

Find it on BBC iPlayer or if you’re outside the UK, there are some great clips on YouTube.  Here’s one…

 

‘More Shakespeare’, I hear you intone.  I see you rolling your eyes.  But you know how much I love The Bard and I’m guessing you wouldn’t be reading my newsletters if you didn’t enjoy my regular references to his work.  Actually, these wise words were not written by William Shakespeare but by Pericles himself.  Yes, he was a real person in Ancient Greece and some of his writings have survived the march of time.

Why this quote, why now?

Firstly, I went to see the current production of ‘Pericles’ directed by Tamara Harvey and starring Alfred Enoch (you might remember him as Dean Thomas in the Harry Potter films).  It is a beautiful production and weaves the disparate parts of the plot together very well.  I loved it.

Secondly, in the past year several of my friends have lost a loved one.  Talking of the deceased ones, people mention their special memories of times spent together, of help given and received, of secrets shared and kept and of warm feelings.  It’s rare that eulogies list academic qualifications or corporate positions held.  I know it’s a cliche, but people remember how you make them feel.

Thirdly, I’ve been doing a lot of leadership training and coaching lately.  A theme that keeps recurring is how leaders can enrich the lives of their people.  Leadership is not just about getting people to do the job they’re paid to do – although in some cases that would be a good start.  Leadership is also about creating an environment in which people want to work, to belong, to contribute and to succeed.  Working from home is now an established feature of many corporate cultures and it’s obvious that it’s brought a drift towards more transactional relationships between employer and employee.  A good leader can reverse that drift and inspire people to create a working community as well as encouraging a healthy balance between personal life and professional life.  In my opinion.

I invite you to consider what you are weaving into the lives of others…

 

 

In this episode Wilma and I are outside in sunny (and breezy) Wales. The conversation roams around the location, my recent trip to Amsterdam, a brilliant example of modern surgical methods and finally settles at the beautiful Graig Ddu, where I coax Wilma to explain the philosophy behind Being a the Cottage and the experience her clients have…

Wilma took the photo of me during the recording, so you can see what a beautiful place it is.  You can also see that I’m wearing an extra jumper, despite it being August!