There is a question that sounds simple, but for many people it is surprisingly difficult to answer. Who are you when you are not working? For some, the answer comes easily. They are a parent, a partner, a gardener, a musician, a walker, a volunteer, a traveller, a cook, a friend, a grandparent, a reader, [...]
When most people think about ADHD, they picture someone who is easily distracted, struggles to sit still or finds it difficult to focus. While there is some truth in those stereotypes, they only scratch the surface of what ADHD actually is and how it shows up in the workplace. One of the most important things [...]
Few conversations trigger us as quickly as being criticised. Someone questions our judgement, challenges the quality of our work, or suggests that we have caused a problem. Before we have fully understood what is being said, our nervous system may already be preparing a response. We explain. We justify. We correct the record. We point [...]
Viktor Frankl noticed something after the Second World War that still has something important to teach us about retirement. As a psychiatrist, he observed that many people did not feel most unsettled when life was busy, demanding or difficult. They often felt worse when life became quiet. Sunday afternoon, in particular, seemed to expose something. [...]
Why yoga won’t fix psychosocial hazards: what leaders should do instead Wellness programs can be good for morale, recovery and culture, but they are not, by themselves, controls for psychosocial hazards. A yoga class, morning tea, mindfulness app or fruit bowl may support individual wellbeing, but it does not remove the source of harm if [...]
We often talk about dementia as though it is something that arrives suddenly in later life. In reality, brain health is shaped over decades by how we live, learn, connect and stay engaged. Education matters, but not only in the formal sense. A brain that keeps learning, solving, adapting and interacting is a brain that [...]
Why the move out of work needs to be a move into purpose, challenge and connection When people think about preparing for retirement, they usually focus on money, timing and lifestyle. Will we have enough? Where will we live? What will we do with our time? Far fewer people ask a quieter but equally [...]
The Hidden Source of Stress in Modern Leadership We have all heard the humourous lines about stress. One suggests that the greatest source of stress is other people not doing or thinking what we believe they should. Another describes stress as that moment when the mind overcomes the body’s desire to strangle someone who desperately [...]
Most people approach retirement as a financial milestone. The number matters. The plan matters. The super matters. What often gets left out is the harder question: Who am I when my work role is no longer doing the heavy lifting for me? This is where retirement can quietly unravel — not because people lack freedom, [...]
Why organisations are exhausting their people—and what leaders can do about it Modern organisations operate in a VUCA environment: volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous. Strategy cycles are shorter, restructures are frequent, and employees are asked to adapt—again and again—often while doing more with less. Two related but distinct forms of exhaustion sit quietly beneath the [...]
Dr Susan Roberts says: