The power of somatics – an interview with Zoe Kennell

A podcast interview with Zoe Kennell, a teacher and somatic educator, about her experience of using somatics to support her through a particularly gruelling three years with a new head teacher. Includes tips for staying calm under pressure.

Getting out of the box – from bullying to wellbeing

When you’re off balance as a result of workplace bullying or anything else, what matters is that you take responsibility for your own state of mind and your own future. Often we can’t change our circumstances, but we can choose how we respond to them. And we can examine and map what we need in order to recover our wellbeing and to flourish again. That’s what Recover Your Balance is there to support.

More help for targets of workplace bullying

One all-too-common reason for being off balance at work results from being the target for workplace bullying. It can be insidious and hard to prove, ranging as it does from tactics designed to undermine confidence, through blatent lying to sidelining and exclusion. Whatever form it takes, its effects can be devastating. Here is solid help for handling it.

What do you want?

When the level of negative events in life overtakes the positive in our minds, it can be a bit difficult to see how to move on. That’s why Recover Your Balance starts from what you want to be different.

Recover Your Balance in seven steps

When distressing things happen at work – bullying, work overload, being in a toxic workplace, redundancy – they can knock you right off balance. Here’s how you can start to recover and move on from their negative impact.

No Mr Letwin, fear is not the answer

I found myself shouting at the radio this weekend. I couldn’t believe my ears. Whatever gives Oliver Letwin the idea that instilling fear into public servants will deliver excellence? (The Guardian, 30 July.) This is not a recipe for reform. It’s the straight path to creating a bullying culture.

What inspires you?

When you’re off balance, getting in touch with what helps you smile, laugh, feel in touch with yourself, enjoy life, is a key part of getting a sense of where you are in the grand scheme of things.

Remembering to breathe

When we’re off balance, it shows, even though we may be unaware of how we’re coming across. I’ve experienced clients saying they responded calmly to a situation, while their colleagues report observing a very strong negative reaction from them. It really does help to become self-aware.

You’re not alone

I love doing radio. Today I was Ian Mac’s guest on the Vectis Radio daily phone-in, talking about bouncing back from bad times at work. Our callers, Lyn, Jean and Tony, were all courageous people who had picked themselves up from some emotionally and spiritually damaging experiences. I hope that in telling their stories, they were able to reinforce for our listeners that they are not alone.

In service

it takes a huge amount of focused, intentional work to create great customer service, and it takes authentic, confident staff buy-in to keep the show on the road. And if you put in the work, the business stands a good chance of growing… I do know that when you have miserable customer service, it is often delivered by miserable staff. And vice-versa.