In this episode, Wendy is joined by Jess White the amazing entrepreneur behind Yogi Tribe and the Spark Business Network. Jess has been practising yoga for 25 years and teaching it for 10.

She also works to bring a yoga spirit to business. Jess runs Spark networking events that bring business owners and would-be entrepreneurs together from diverse backgrounds and industries to spark ideas, inspiration, partnerships and more. They are known locally as the High Vibe Tribe. To achieve this, Jess encourages everyone to tap into the power of using yoga principles in all aspects of life, including protecting their mental health.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• There are many forms of yoga, so it is for everyone, regardless of age, shape or size.

• Yoga was initially developed to help you prepare for meditation, which is one reason it is so good for mental health.

• Yoga is especially beneficial for neurodiverse children and adults.

• Movement is medicine, you can feel yoga healing you as it releases tension and balances your body.

• Yoga makes you much more aware of your body, which improves confidence and focuses you on what you put into your body.

• The Spark community supports and inspires each other e.g. by sharing their goals for the week every Monday, to hold themselves to account.

• At the end of the week, the Spark community shares what they are grateful for. Gratitude is very powerful.

• Try Yin Yoga if you have problems sleeping. Other forms are particularly good for pain relief.

BEST MOMENTS

“I believe that yoga is for everybody, and I also niche in children's yoga.”

“Spark brings a diverse group of business owners together to inspire each other, to network, spark ideas, partnerships, collaborations and learnings.”

“I felt this sense of healing, and I thought, how on earth can just holding your body in some poses do this?”

“Everybody comes to yoga for a different reason.”

“It's an integrative approach, depending on who I've got in front of me.”

“So much can be done via meditation.”

“There's lots of different avenues into learning how to meditate.”

ABOUT THE GUEST

https://sparkbusinessnetworking.co.uk

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-networking-spark

http://budokon.com

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hatha_yoga

https://www.yoganatomy.com/ashtanga-yoga

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yin_Yoga

VALUABLE RESOURCES

www.wendycastelino.com

https://www.instagram.com/wendycastelino/

https://www.youtube.com/@wendycastelino798

https://twitter.com/WendyCastelino

ABOUT THE HOST

Wendy Castelino has been working as a psychotherapist for over thirty-five years. As an accredited CBT and EMDR practitioner, she is committed to upholding the rigorous standards required for these accreditations and helping thousands of people reach their full potential.

Wendy currently runs a private practice where her focus is on CBT. Therapy is constantly evolving into developing new techniques, so she studies hard to integrate them into her therapy, to provide a rich and effective experience.

Wendy is aware that working in one-to-one therapy limits the number of people she can see. She has, therefore, created a range of online resources. These resources are designed to be easy to follow and provide clear, step-by-step instructions. This can help the individual to master skills and gain confidence, therefore optimising the therapy sessions. They are also suitable to be used on their own.

Further details are available at: WendyCastelino.com.

In this episode, Wendy is joined by Dr. Sally Conway, a clinical psychologist, coach for highly sensitive people, and a qualified EMDR practitioner. Sally, who is herself highly sensitive, explains why HSPs are very prone to people pleasing to the extent that they neglect themselves and why even relatively small stressors can easily overwhelm them.

Sally shares techniques highly sensitive people can use to protect their energy and restore balance to their lives, so they can stop feeling overwhelmed and enjoy life more. She also explains how to access the free guide she has written to help HSPs protect their energy so that they stop helping and pleasing others at the expense of their own wellbeing.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• 25% to 30% of the population have high-sensitivity personality traits.

• Being deep thinkers makes decision-making and small talk difficult for HSPS.

• Too much noise and clutter are bad for highly sensitive people. Other environmental factors can also over-stimulate them.

• Sensitive people are usually more emotional, are often big people pleasers and have low self-worth.

• HSP traits also have some big upsides e.g. high levels of compassion.

• Because HSPs are already stressed a lot by day-to-day life, their tolerance for stress is low. It does not take much to tip them into a fight-or-flight response.

• HS people tend to have stronger reactions to trauma.

• People pleasing to the point where you neglect yourself is highly damaging. Sally shares simple ways to reverse this negative behaviour trait.

• EMDR is particularly effective for HS people. Especially those who have issues stemming from their childhood.

• Once you have dealt with trauma it is far easier to grow as a person.

• Find those people who believe in you and in what you can achieve.

BEST MOMENTS

“The key part of any work I do with people is that they feel heard, seen, understood, nurtured, and accepted.”

“We think about things a lot more than other people.”

“People who are highly sensitive are more susceptible to the impact of stressors.”

“Trauma can lead to people pleasing as a way of keeping themselves safe.”

“It's okay to be highly sensitive… there are some positives about it.”

EPISODE RESOURCES

https://highlysensitivepsychologist.com

https://sallyconwaypsychology.co.uk

https://highlysensitivepsychologist.com

VALUABLE RESOURCES

www.wendycastelino.com

https://www.instagram.com/wendycastelino/

https://www.youtube.com/@wendycastelino798

https://twitter.com/WendyCastelino

ABOUT THE HOST

Wendy Castelino has been working as a psychotherapist for over thirty-five years. As an accredited CBT and EMDR practitioner, she is committed to upholding the rigorous standards required for these accreditations and helping thousands of people reach their full potential.

Wendy currently runs a private practice where her focus is on CBT. Therapy is constantly evolving into developing new techniques, so she studies hard to integrate them into her therapy, to provide a rich and effective experience.

Wendy is aware that working in one-to-one therapy limits the number of people she can see. She has, therefore, created a range of online resources. These resources are designed to be easy to follow and provide clear, step-by-step instructions. This can help the individual to master skills and gain confidence, therefore optimising the therapy sessions. They are also suitable to be used on their own.

Further details are available at: WendyCastelino.com.

Wendy has the pleasure of welcoming Alejandro Argüelles Bullón from Gazing Red2Blue, a dedicated mental health advocate, who has also suffered from anxiety.

Alejandro and Wendy discuss why anxiety in men is underdiagnosed, the differences between how men and women process anxiety and which therapies work best for most men. They also discuss dealing with anxiety performance and the use of medications to treat mental health issues.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• The genders experience anxiety differently.

• Anxiety in men is still being under diagnosed.

• Men respond well to men only support groups, compassion, the use of masculine language, exercise and speaking to others who have had anxiety.

• Breathing exercises are particularly effective.

• In sport and the workplace men in particular are encouraged not to show weakness, which feeds anxiety.

• Creating a psychologically safe culture in a business is highly beneficial.

BEST MOMENTS

“Men may show anger or irritability or engage in risky behaviours rather than openly discussing their worries.”

“Speaking with others who experience similar struggles for me was extremely powerful.”

ABOUT THE GUEST

Alejandro Argüelles Bullón is the Director of Coach and Partner Development at Gazing Red2Blue and a PhD student in Mental Health at Lancaster University. With a background in sports and clinical mental health, he applies psychological principles to boost individual and organizational performance. Alejandro holds an MSc in Clinical Mental Health Sciences from UCL and a BSc in Sport & Exercise Psychology from Loughborough University.

As an EMCC Accredited Coach and Mental Health Mentor, Alejandro has delivered the Red2Blue program globally, helping people perform under pressure. His research uses a realist framework to explore which mental health interventions work best in specific contexts. His contributions to mental health have been recognized with Lancaster University’s Ben Booth Dean Award.

Outside of his professional work, Alejandro is active in mental health advocacy, volunteering with Shout UK and serving on the British Psychological Society’s DCP committee.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/alejandro-arguelles-bullon

https://hacw.silvercloudhealth.com

Moncrief review - https://www.nature.com/articles/s41380-022-01661-0

VALUABLE RESOURCES

www.wendycastelino.com

https://www.instagram.com/wendycastelino/

https://www.youtube.com/@wendycastelino798

https://twitter.com/WendyCastelino

ABOUT THE HOST

Wendy Castelino has been working as a psychotherapist for over thirty-five years. As an accredited CBT and EMDR practitioner, she is committed to upholding the rigorous standards required for these accreditations and helping thousands of people reach their full potential.

Wendy currently runs a private practice where her focus is on CBT. Therapy is constantly evolving into developing new techniques, so she studies hard to integrate them into her therapy, to provide a rich and effective experience.

Wendy is aware that working in one-to-one therapy limits the number of people she can see. She has, therefore, created a range of online resources. These resources are designed to be easy to follow and provide clear, step-by-step instructions. This can help the individual to master skills and gain confidence, therefore optimising the therapy sessions. They are also suitable to be used on their own.

Further details are available at: WendyCastelino.com