Category: Uncategorized

Y: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRq7TIWs7iqeaOvA3hdFN3w

February 2025: Diary of a CEO and pitching perfectly!

Posted on February 3, 2025 | by Wendy Garrett

February 2025 – The Garrett Learning newsletter. A mental health and wellbeing update to find out what has been happening, what’s new & what’s coming up!

We are * Supportive * Curious * Welcoming * Encouraging * Straightforward * We are Garrett Learning.

Inside this month’s issue:

Pitch Perfect – Acing your presentation
Diary of a CEO
Dates for your diary

What’s been happening?

It was FUN! It was IMPACTFUL! It was PITCH PERFECT!

I’ve often been told that I ‘hold the room well’ when I speak to a room of people or facilitate a course/workshop.

When Lisa Lloyd, the Managing Director of an awesome networking group, Women Who UK Business Network approached me to share my knowledge with the network, I jumped at the chance!

I was in my element delivering Pitch Perfect to a group of business owners. I loved supporting the people in the room to receive the following feedback: “Wonderful course very informative very well delivered thank you Wendy!”

Phew! I’m glad it was ’well delivered!’

For me, the key to delivering a session is always to enjoy it! You don’t need to know ALL the answers, it’s not as scary as it may seem and people are in the room with you because they want to be there!

Bring everyone together, lean on others and learn from their experiences. That’s what we did!

I haven’t always liked/enjoyed being ‘center stage’, at school I was fairly quiet and shy, blended in and lacking in confidence.

My outlook on life changed slightly when I went on my first holiday abroad at the age of 12 to Spain. I can remember that we holidayed with Cosmos and stayed at the Clipper hotel in Lloret De Mar! We travelled 30 hours on a coach from the UK and were greeted by some ladies with a clipboard, a big smile and living in the sunshine! It was then that I decided I wanted to become a holiday rep.

This career pathway shaped the options I took at high school; Geography and Spanish. I went to college to study Travel and Tourism and in 2002 I packed my suitcase and started my first season for First Choice in Mojacar, Spain. I flew there this time!

I loved talking to people, welcoming people at the airport, running the fun and informative welcome meetings and handling more complaints than I ever imagined! Whatever interaction I had with the holidaymakers my aim was to always ensure they had the best holiday possible and make it a memorable experience for them, just as I experienced my first holiday as a child.

Being a holiday rep gave me a unique set of interpersonal skills that have helped me throughout life; communicating with people from different backgrounds and countries, managing difficult situations, and thinking on my feet! Solve problems, manage challenging situations and keep a cool head!

In 2012 I retrained to become a qualified trainer/assessor as I love the education space, supporting and encouraging others where I have honed my skills on how to support others, grow and encourage people to get the most out of themselves.

I’m a lifelong learner, this year I will be completing the ILM Level 5 in Coaching to continue the great work that I do and provide an even better level of service to those I support.

We’d love to welcome you to the next Pitch Perfect!

“A really helpful session covering both the strategy/planning and practical considerations and exercises in order to deliver a great pitch or session.”

We will be running sessions throughout the year with the network – please check out https://womenwhouk.co.uk/ Our next collaborative session is running in Worcestershire on Tuesday 29th April 2025.

If you’d like to run your own session for your organisation, business or to book a 1:1, lets ‘Ace the Presentation’ together, get in touch with me directly on wendy@garrettlearning.co.uk to discuss your requirements.

What’s new?

I’ve been listening to the Audiobook of ‘Diary of a CEO’ by Steven Bartlett and I’m loving it! Steven shares 33 laws of life and business; from creating a whatsapp group with people you have similar interests with to keep you accountable. For example, if you want to workout more, share your activity and progress as this will help each of you in the group chat.

Also, he likes to keep things simple and not use more words than necessary. So my final point is: buy the book, it’s highly recommended!

What’s coming up – Dates for your diary:

Thursday 6th Feb is Time to Talk Day, get together, pick up the phone, go for a walk together and connect. Enjoy the conversation, spread love, joy and enhance the wellbeing of others and yourself. Find out more here: https://timetotalkday.co.uk/

Monday 10th February at 14:00-14:50 GMT the Workplace Wellbeing Champions will meet again. The guest speaker this month is Louise Dillon who specialised in Grief in the workplace.

During these sessions, we’ll talk about workplace wellbeing to help you raise awareness in your organisation. Come and join us! Sign up for £20 a month or join for a one-off session for £35. Take away some support and wellbeing guidance for your business.

Wednesday 26th to Friday 28th February, whether you’re self-employed or considering a career change/embarking on self employment options, come and join us at The Garrett Learning Work and Wellbeing Retreat.

During the three days, we will work ON our businesses rather than IN it.

We’ll focus on ourselves, our wellbeing, reduce the feeling of overwhelm and burnout. We’ll get off the hamster wheel for a couple of days.

We’ll end our stay connected, refreshed and also enjoy a massage!

What’s not to love!

It’s a £650 investment in you, which includes your own ensuite room in a castle, breakfast and dinner, workshops, activities and a 55 minute massage.

Secure your place with a £100 deposit today. Pay in instalments. Find out more here: www.garrettlearning.co.uk/work-retreat

Upcoming MHFA England course dates can be found here: https://mhfaengland.org/public-profile/?id=53e0d92a-9711-e811-8127-e0071b664191

Want some help?

Lunch and learn workshops
Leadership and development sessions
MHFA England Programmes Open courses
Bespoke training
1:1 mentoring
The Work Retreat
Become a Workplace Well-being Hero!

Book a chat with Wendy here: https://scheduler.zoom.us/garrettlearning/1-1-cuppa-and-chat

Want to talk to me about group (corporate discounts apply if booking 8+ people) or bespoke training, please send me an email on wendy@garrettlearning.co.uk to discuss your requirements.

If you want to discuss your future plans, I’d love to hear them! Get in touch!

m: 07859 878 599

c: https://scheduler.zoom.us/garrettlearning/1-1-cuppa-and-chat

Y: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRq7TIWs7iqeaOvA3hdFN3w

The 2025 Garrett Learning Mental Health and Wellbeing Calendar

Posted on January 21, 2025 | by Wendy Garrett

Garrett Learning has created the Workplace Mental Health and Wellbeing Calendar which is full of meaningful dates with national and global initiatives to promote physical, mental, and emotional wellness in the workplace.

Download the calendar directly to learn and discover more from the links embedded within the PDF. Discover what you and your workplace could do each month to promote wellbeing at work and in life.

Want to learn more?

Develop your skills as a Workplace Wellbeing Champion. Join us on the second Monday of the month to help make positive changes within your workplace or community. It’s a chance to inspire others by sharing ideas, learn from our guest speakers, develop yourself and encourage others. See you there!

Let’s make a difference together!

Welcome to January 2025!

Posted on January 7, 2025 | by Wendy Garrett

The Garrett Learning newsletter. A mental health and wellbeing update to find out what has been happening, what’s new & what’s coming up!

We are * Supportive * Curious * Welcoming * Encouraging * Straightforward * We are Garrett Learning.

Inside this month’s issue:

Happy New Year! What’s your word of the year?
Winter wellbeing
What’s coming up! Lots of fun stuff! Ask me anything in a Q&A

Firstly, thank you for reading and engaging with me, I appreciate you and the help, support and encouragement I’ve received in 2024.

Happy New Year to you all – Let’s make Janaury Happier with the Action for Happiness Calendar:

What’s been happening?

Other than the festive celebrations, I’ve had a good break, just over three weeks off, which means I have returned to work today raring to go!

Starting with my focus for the year. Last year’s Word of the Year was ‘Connection’. This worked well for me. Each decision made was with ‘Connection’ in mind.

This year, I’m keeping the theme, however it will be ‘Connecting with Intention’.

Ok, the ‘Word of the Year’ should probably be just one word, but this is me, so I’m having 2 ish words.

Do you have a ‘Word of the Year?’

What’s new.

Let’s talk about Winter Wellbeing.

In December we saw in the shortest day of the year, signs that Spring is on it’s way – the snowdrops are already out in my garden and the daffodils are starting to grow.

Let’s remember that mornings will become lighter and the evening light will last longer as the days pass us by.

Some tips for winter wellbeing:

1.Get outside as much as you can – it makes us feel good, relieves stress and improves our mood – Read up on the benefits here: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/tips-for-everyday-living/nature-and-mental-health/how-nature-benefits-mental-health/

Sometimes I will walk for 10 minutes, other times it may be 2 hours. It depends on schedule. Some of my favourite walks are in the crisp fresh air, sometimes I even take a water bottle with me tucked inside my coat!

2. Check-in with yourself and your sleeping patterns. Are you getting enough sleep? There has been lots of research about the benefits of sleep and that we process the day when we’re sleeping which enables us to start the next day more refreshed.

Is there anything you can do to improve your sleep? Minimise technology in the bedroom? Plan in an early night?

I work backwards, I figure out what time I need to wake up and then set my bedtime that allows me to ‘try’ and have 8 hours of sleep.

3. Remember to do you!

If you need to take a break, please take one. Give yourself a break. There can be lots of pressure to go into January, perhaps you’re full steam ahead with all the plans, fitness routines, change to diet and achieve the life you dream of. Some of this can feel exhausting.

Life has increasing challenges for some, be mindful not to burn yourself out. Take note of how you spend your day/time. What is working for you, and what isn’t? Can you make some small changes to improve your wellbeing?

What’s coming up – Dates for your diary:

I’m so excited for what 2025 will bring!

Clear your diary and make some plans:

THANK YOU!

Saturday 11th January is Thank You Day. Let’s be grateful and thank someone. Find out more here: https://thankyouday.org.uk/

Monday, 13th January at 14:00-14:50 GMT the Workplace Wellbeing Heroes will meet again. The guest speaker this month is Rachel Nicholls who encourages people to move their body. Quite an appropriate topic for January!

Join me on Wednesday 22nd January 15:00-15:45. We will have an informative, open and honest Q&A about MHFA England training – Is it right for you and your organisation?

Ask your questions and get informed – We’re here to help without the hard sell – I love the training, if it’s not right for you, that’s ok.

We deliver the MHFA England programmes as well as bespoke training programmes. Check out what we have on offer here: https://www.garrettlearning.co.uk/services

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Upcoming MHFA England course dates can be found here: https://mhfaengland.org/public-profile/?id=53e0d92a-9711-e811-8127-e0071b664191

Wednesday 26th to Friday 28th February, whether you’re self employed or considering a career change/embarking on self employment options, come and join us at The Garrett Learning Work and Wellbeing Retreat.

During the three days, we will work ON our businesses rather than IN it.

We’ll focus on ourselves, our wellbeing, reduce the feeling of overwhelm and burnout. We’ll get off the hamster wheel for a couple of days.

We’ll end our stay connected, refreshed and also enjoy a massage!

What’s not to love!

It’s a £650 investment in you, which includes your own ensuite room in a castle, breakfast and dinner, workshops, activities and a 55 minute massage.

Secure your place with a £100 deposit today. Pay in instalments. Find out more here: www.garrettlearning.co.uk/work-retreat

Want some help?

Lunch and learn workshops
Leadership and development sessions
MHFA England Programmes Open courses
Bespoke training
1:1 mentoring
The Work Retreat
Become a Workplace Well-being Hero!

Book a chat with Wendy here: https://scheduler.zoom.us/garrettlearning/1-1-cuppa-and-chat

Want to talk to me about group (corporate discounts apply if booking 8+ people) or bespoke training, please send me an email on wendy@garrettlearning.co.uk to discuss your requirements.

If you want to discuss your future plans, I’d love to hear them! Get in touch!

m: 07859 878 599

c: https://scheduler.zoom.us/garrettlearning/1-1-cuppa-and-chat

Y: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRq7TIWs7iqeaOvA3hdFN3w

Setting Boundaries and looking after our the wellbeing of ourselves and others.

Posted on November 14, 2024 | by Wendy Garrett

Inside this month’s issue:

Business Book Club
Wellbeing Wendy Wednesdays!
Developing skills on resilience and managing stress

The Garrett Learning newsletter. A mental health and wellbeing update to find out what has been happening, what’s new & what’s coming up!

We are * Supportive * Curious * Welcoming * Encouraging * Straightforward * We are Garrett Learning.

What’s been happening?

During my leadership and mental health programmes, I encourage people to leave their work laptops at home if taking some annual leave. We need to take a break, however, I’m going to be honest with you here, it’s a serious case of ‘do what I say, not what I do’.

A few weeks ago, we (husband and I) went away and I thought I needed to enforce this boundary with myself, surely, I need to lead by example here! I didn’t take my laptop on holiday! And it felt GREAT to have a real break!

Do it! Try it! The world doesn’t fall apart.

(Thanks Becks for the image!)

Something else which has been great, is during the last 11 months, I have been part of an online book club – Saltoria Marketing Book Club and Sally Day who facilitates the session has provided a great space to learn and develop. We are currently reading, or in my case, listening to Feel Good Productivity by Ali Abdaal. Come and join us on the last Wednesday of the month. Find out more by clicking here: https://www.saltoriamarketing.com/saltoria-book-club/

Learning and socialising with others are great ways to boost our mental wellbeing!

What’s new?

I’ve been toying with *yet* another idea – ‘Wellbeing Wendy Wednesdays’ However, this is where I need you… what does this look like?

Each Wednesday I would share some wellbeing tips, a tool, app etc – What would you want to see? Let me know!

Here are some mental health, wellbeing and resilience tips to start you off and help set your own boundaries to wellbeing:

What are you committing yourself to?

Check-in with yourself to see what you are saying yes to. From a work perspective and your social life too. The festive season is around the corner.

I’ve picked up this tip from listening to this month’s current book; Feel Good Productivity. The author shared the approach of either saying ‘Hell Yeah or No’ when someone requests something of you or a decision needs to be made. It’s a concept created by Derek Sivers.

Next time someone asks you to do something or go somewhere, check in to see if your initial response is ‘Hell yeah’.

If it isn’t, ask yourself, should you be saying yes at all?

2) Life isn’t without its challenges.

How do you cope when negative things challenge you? What happens to your thoughts and how do you manage situations or events that are stressful?

We need to understand how we manage stress and pressure to overcome challenges rationally and calmly. When you feel your stress levels increasing, what do you do?

When problems arise we can develop our problem-solving skills further by listening to all the facts available to us which will enable us to make an informed decision.

We need to communicate clearly and be transparent to all parties involved.

After the event, we should take a moment to reflect and review what happened. This will improve our resilience and prepare us if the situation should arise again.

3) Build a great network of people around you.

Yes, you may have heard this before. Some people are ‘Radiators’ and some people are ‘Drains’.

Radiators give off positive energy, they’re great to be around. They’re your cheerleaders. They encourage you and want the very best for you. They spur us on.

Drains do the opposite. They suck the energy out of you. It’s an effort to be around them. They literally drain the life out of those around them.

You choose who to spend your social time with (not always your work time, however you can minimise spending time with the drains). Have a think about who uplifts you, makes you feel energised, you can be yourself around them. They’re your crew!

This model below can also help our thought process. It’s the Circle of Control and Influence by Stephen Covey:

Our inner circle of control is about what we can control ourselves. Such as: Our own actions, thoughts, words used, mindset and choices.

The circle of influence is aspects of our life that we can’t fully control but we may be able to influence it in some way. Such as: Your commitments, other people’s opinions of you, Policies at work, workload.

The outer circle, the circle of concern, is the area that we can not control or influence. Examples of these include: Decisions you have made in the past, the weather, the news, Government policy, football score, what we have said in the past to others, the traffic, what other people say/do/act.

Next time you’re in a bit of a pickle about something, or you are in a stressful situation, what circle does it sit in? If you can’t influence or control that stress factor, we need to ‘let it go’.

What’s coming up?

Obviously another holiday! I think you all know me well enough by now! We’ll be breaking up for the Christmas break on Thursday 12th December and returning to work on Monday 6th January.

We have our training diary open for the first part of the year. Here are the upcoming open MHFA England programmes:

Adult Mental Health First Aid dates (£325 per person):

Monday 18th & Tuesday 19th November 09:00-17:00

Tuesday 10th & Wednesday 11th December 09:00-17:00

Tuesday 6th & Wednesday 8th January 2025 09:30-16:30

Tuesday 18th & Wednesday 19th February 09:30-16:30

Mental Health Skills for Managers (£150 per person):

Wednesday 29th January 09:30-13:30

Tuesday 25th February 09:30-13:30

MHFA half day Aware (£150 per person):

Tuesday 28th January 09:30-13:30

Thursday 20th February 09:30-13:30

MHFA One Day Champion (£195 per person):

Thursday 23rd January 09:30-16:30

MHFA Refresher (£150 per person):

Thursday 12th December 09:00-13:00

Thursday 9th January 2025 13:00-17:00

Wednesday 22nd January 09:30-13:30

Thursday 30th January 13:00-17:00

Thursday 6th February 09:30-13:3

Want to talk to me about group (corporate discounts apply if booking 8+ people) or bespoke training, please send me an email on wendy@garrettlearning.co.uk to discuss your requirements.

To bridge the gap between the MHFA England training and when you come back to complete a refresher, we have the Workplace Wellbeing Hero monthly meet ups!

If you are:

– Promoting mental health in the workplace

– A Mental Health First Aider

– A Wellbeing Ambassador

We welcome you to become a Workplace Mental Health and Wellbeing Hero!

You can join for £20 per month per person (forever!) Find out more by visiting: www.garrettlearning.co.uk/services/workplace-well-being-hero/ or join us for a one off meeting for £35.

What do you get for your money?

Each month you can attend the live session or watch the recording of an educational workshop.
We’re joined by guests with alternative wellbeing outlooks
Attend quarterly workshops, invite your colleagues to help spread the message and raise awareness of mental health and wellbeing. You are a hero after all!
You’ll connect with other like-minded people to exchange best practices, share ideas and support each other. Ideal if you’re the only mental health-trained person in your organisation.
Each session will host a Q&A section so you can bring your questions and queries.

I can’t wait to hear from Jo!

What’s coming up?

The Work and Wellbeing Retreat with Garrett Learning isn’t all work and no play! (If you’ve met me in person, you know this is true!)

The Work and Wellbeing Retreat is about:

– Escaping the everyday to focus on you and your well-being

– Enjoying a change of scenery allows to be more creative in our business

– The space gives our mind a chance to rest and think

– When we do nice things for ourselves it makes us feel good

– We meet with new people that spark conversations and ideas

– We deserve the rest!

Could you imagine spending two nights in a luxury hotel room like this? All within a castle? Come and join us on 26th -28th February 2025 to set your intention for the year.

Secure your place with a £100 deposit today. Find out more here: www.garrettlearning.co.uk/work-retreat

Want some help?

Lunch and learn workshops
Leadership and development sessions
MHFA England Programmes Open courses
Bespoke training
1:1 mentoring
The Work Retreat
Become a Workplace Well-being Hero!

Book a chat with Wendy here: https://scheduler.zoom.us/garrettlearning/1-1-cuppa-and-chat

If you want to discuss your future plans, I’d love to hear them! Get in touch!

m: 07859 878 599

c: https://scheduler.zoom.us/garrettlearning/1-1-cuppa-and-chat

Y: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRq7TIWs7iqeaOvA3hdFN3w

Planning for World Mental Health Day 2024

Posted on September 30, 2024 | by Wendy Garrett

World Mental Health Day 2024

The Garrett Learning newsletter. A mental health and well-being update to find out what has been happening, what’s new & what’s coming up!

Inside this month’s issue:

- World Mental Health Day 2024 – this years theme is ‘It is time to prioritise mental health in the workplace’
- The HR Hero, Kate Bennett will be joining us for a chat!
- Garrett Learning add wellbeing into everything we do!

We are * Supportive * Curious * Welcoming * Encouraging * Straightforward * We are Garrett Learning.

What’s been happening?

I’ve been at the poker table again!

I run ‘The Nuts poker league’ on a Monday night in our local pub. From this I qualified for ‘Regionals’ which the next stage at the casino. It was a great day, with 105 people starting the tournament, I played for 6 hours and finished in the 24th position. I’ve improved upon my game since the last time I I made it through to Regionals as I was the first person out and everyone gave me a clap as I walked out the room!

I love the game, the game involves strategy, patience, and it’s fun, although I appreciate my serious face might give off other vibes!

What’s new?

In line with World Mental Health Day, we have two free awareness workshops planned, one in person and one on zoom – we’d love you, your team or family members to join us:

The 2024 It is time to prioritise mental health in the workplace. Let’s do just that!

1) Online.

Join us on Monday 14th October 15:00-16:00 GMT.

Join Garrett Learning and The Workplace Wellbeing Heroes as we talk about:
– What does mental health in the workplace look like
– How we can support our people

– Starting with the conversation
– We’ll think about employee wellbeing
plus time for questions and answers

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

2) In person event.

On Saturday 12th October, Kidderminster, Worcestershire. 10:00-11:30 GMT

We’lI be running a free 90-minute awareness workshop and the wonderful volunteers at St John Ambulance, Kidderminster division have offered their training room for us to hold this event – thank you!

We will be covering:

– What is mental health, signs, symptoms and common mental health conditions

– Breaking down the stigma

– How to have the conversation about mental health

-Where to go for help and support

For more details and to sign up for your free ticket, please click here:

Kidderminster Event

If you/your team are unavailable to attend the above sessions there are other ways to raise awareness in your organisation:

Watch the Stress Container model

Watch here

Get people talking about what is in their ‘Stress Container’ (Source: MHFA England). People are more likely to talk about stress than mental health. We all have things that ‘stress us out’. Please note that what is stressful to one person, may not be stressful to another.

In a communal work area or team meeting, take a piece of flip chart paper and draw out a big container shape with a tap.

Encourage people to share what it causing them stress by writing their stresses in the container (money, work, relationships, health, car going in for an MOT, pending dentist visit, getting married etc)

Under the tap, ask people to share how they manage their stress and ‘let out’ or reduce their stress, such as, walking the dog, meditation, boxing, reading or taking a holiday.

Free download

Download the Garrett Learning guide on How to implement Mental Health First Aiders into your organisation

Download the guide for free

MHFA England recommend 1 in 10 people are trained in mental health.

If you’re thinking about implementing more MHFAiders (Mental Health First Aiders) into your organisation, this guide will provide tips and suggestions, share the benefits to your organisation and provide guidance on how to recruit the best people for the role.

We’ll also get you thinking about your wellbeing and mental health strategy.

(Please feel free to share the link with anyone who maybe interested)

What’s coming up?

The HR extraordinaire, Kate Bennett of The HR Hero, will be our guest at the Workplace Wellbeing Heroes online meeting on Monday 14th October at 2-3pm GMT for our fifth meeting. Kate will be sharing all things ‘People, HR and supporting your team’. We’ll be in for an enlightening session.

If you are:

– A Wellbeing Ambassador

– Promoting mental health in the workplace

– A Mental Health First Aider

We welcome you to become a Workplace Wellbeing Hero!

You can join for £20 per month per person (forever!) or just join a one-off session for £35.

Find out more by visiting: www.garrettlearning.co.uk/services/workplace-well-being-hero/

What do you get for your money?

– Each month you can attend/watch the recording of an educational workshop.

– Attend quarterly workshops, invite your colleagues to help spread the message and raise awareness of mental health and wellbeing. You are a hero after all!

– You’ll connect with other like-minded people to exchange best practices, share ideas and support each other.

– Each session will host a Q&A section so you can bring your questions and queries.

c: https://scheduler.zoom.us/garrettlearning/1-1-cuppa-and-chat…;

What’s coming up?

All Garrett Learning MHFA England Programmes are listed here: Open courses

If you’re a MHFAider, please refresh your skills every 3 years. Cost £150 per person
- Thursday 3rd October 09:00-13:00
- Monday 11th November 09:00-13:00
- Wednesday 27th November 09:00-13:00
Raise your awareness with a half-day course to become Mental Health Aware. Join us on Tuesday 5th November. 09:00-13:00. Cost £150 per person.
Become a Mental Health First Aider. October courses are fully booked. Next date with availability: November 6th & 7th. or 18th & 19th November 09:00-17:00. Cost £325 per person.
Tuesday 12th November, join us to become a Mental Health Workplace Champion. Course timing is 09:00-17:00. Cost £195 per person.

Are you leading a business, the Mental Health Skills for Manager programme is for you! Please email us if you’re interested in running this programme.

Raise your awareness with a half-day course to become Mental Health Aware. Next availability will be in January 2025.

**DATE CHANGE** The Work and Wellbeing Retreat with Garrett Learning is now taking place at Studley Castle on Wednesday 26th – Friday 28th February 2025.

The Work and Wellbeing Retreat is about:

Escaping the every day to focus on you and your wellbeing
Enjoying a change of scenery allows us to be more creative in our business
The space gives our mind a chance to rest and think
When we do nice things for ourselves it makes us feel good
We meet with new people who spark conversations and ideas
We deserve the rest!

Secure your place with a £100 deposit today. Find out more here: www.garrettlearning.co.uk/work-retreat

Other October wellbeing dates for your diary:

10th: World Mental Health Day
13th-19th: OCD Awareness week
18th: World Menopause Day
31st: Start of Diwali

Are you taking part in any of these dates? Share your comments and stories with us! We’d love to hear them!

See you soon!

Wendy

Want some help?

Lunch and learn workshops
Leadership and development sessions
MHFA England Programmes Open courses
Bespoke training
1:1 mentoring
The Work Retreat
Become a Workplace Well-being Hero!

Book a chat with Wendy here: https://scheduler.zoom.us/garrettlearning/1-1-cuppa-and-chat…;

If you want to discuss your future plans, I’d love to hear them! Get in touch!

m: 07859 878 599

Y: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRq7TIWs7iqeaOvA3hdFN3w

Creating psychological safety in the workplace

Posted on August 27, 2024 | by Wendy Garrett

The Garrett Learning newsletter. A mental health and well-being update to find out what has been happening, what’s new & what’s coming up!

We are * Supportive * Curious * Welcoming * Encouraging * Straightforward * We are Garrett Learning.

Inside this month’s issue:

Creating psychological safety in the workplace
Home alignment specialist Stephanie Jane will be joining us for a chat!
Garrett Learning adding wellbeing into everything we do!

What’s been happening?

I hope you’ve all had a fabulous August and you’re looking forward to the new school year starting!

(I don’t have children, however my friends tell me ‘it’s time for them to go back’!)

It’s been a busy and enjoyable one. I’ve been camping, caravaning, sunset chasing and dancing at festivals. I’ve finally ticked off Shell Island from my bucket list. Good fun was had by all!

As September approaches I return to a more present and dare I say it, normal work routine! Not that I mind the mini-breaks! – Camping is a time when I can fully switch off from the busyness of life – I mean, look at that view! Take me back there now!

What’s new?

I regularly hear the phrase ‘create psychological safety at work’ however what does that mean for the workplace and what should we be thinking about?

Employers should create a comfortable and safe environment where employees can express themselves without fearing negative consequences.

I’m fortunate that during my leadership experience, my boss encouraged me to take risks, I felt confident to do so with their support. If the plan wasn’t going in the right direction, I felt safe to ask for help and not shamed by my mistakes. This approach allowed my creative flow, vision and problem-solving ideas to be aired safely without being ridiculed or judged. It also allowed me to own up to mistakes and feel vulnerable without feeling humiliation, fear of losing my job or receiving a formal warning (yes! That actually happens).

This is why I mentioned feeling ‘fortunate’ at the start of the previous paragraph. Not everyone has had the same experience as me.

These are the Garrett Learning top tips for your leadership team to help create psychological safety in your workplace:

1. Share your story. Start small with a selected and trusted group of people during your lunch break. Share a time when something went wrong at work/you messed up. Tell the group how you felt about it and if you learned anything from it. You may encourage others to do the same. We’re all human! Even our leaders of the business.

Reflect and notice how you feel when you do this.

2. Ensure everyone has a voice. The voice may not agree with you however we should all be allowed to express our thoughts, feelings, ideas and opinions without repercussion.

3. If a team member has changed their behaviour (missing deadlines, lateness, absence, not engaging with the team/tasks etc) be curious, create a safe space and ask them what is going on in their world rather than making assumptions.

4. As a leader of our business, it’s ok to share your weaknesses, it’s ok to admit when we’re wrong and to apologise for it. This is courageous leadership. Sharing your own faults and floors will encourage others to do the same without feeling judged. We can learn from each other and play to our strengths.

5. Ensure boundaries are in place. We’re not saying to share absolutely everything about yourself (the workplace can’t always resolve our personal problems – seek professional support for this) however, if we hold a facade, drop this to connect with our people and develop stronger relationships.

If you’re working on developing a culture around psychological safety, share your thoughts and comments with us. Want to know more about how we can help you, please get in touch: www.garrettlearning.co.uk/contact

What’s coming up?

The declutter queen, Stephanie Jane of Stephanie Jane Home Alignment Specialist, will be our guest at the Workplace Wellbeing Heroes online meeting on Monday 9th September at 2pm for our fourth meeting. Stephanie will be sharing tips on how to make the most of our workspace to enhance our wellbeing at work and at home.

If you are:

– A Wellbeing Ambassador

– Promoting mental health in the workplace

– A Mental Health First Aider

We welcome you to become a Workplace Wellbeing Hero!

You can join for £20 per month per person (forever!) or just join a one-off session for £35.

Find out more by visiting: www.garrettlearning.co.uk/services/workplace-well-being-hero/

What do you get for your money?

– Each month you can attend/watch the recording of an educational workshop.

– Attend quarterly workshops, invite your colleagues to help spread the message and raise awareness of mental health and wellbeing. You are a hero after all!

– You’ll connect with other like-minded people to exchange best practices, share ideas and support each other.

– Each session will host a Q&A section so you can bring your questions and queries.

What’s coming up?

All Garrett Learning MHFA England Programmes are listed here: Open courses

Thursday 5th September, join us to become a Mental Health Workplace Champion. Course timing is 09:00-17:00. Cost £195 per person.

Are you leading a business, the Mental Health Skills for Manager is running on Thursday 12th September, 09:00-13:00. Cost £150 per person.

Raise your awareness with a half-day course to become Mental Health Aware. Join us on Thursday 19th September. 09:00-13:00. Cost £150 per person.

Become a Mental Health First Aider. September and October courses are fully booked. Next date with availability: November 6th & 7th. 09:00-17:00. Cost £325 per person.

**DATE CHANGE** The Work and Wellbeing Retreat with Garrett Learning is now taking place at Studley Castle on Wednesday 26th – Friday 28th February 2025.

The Work and Wellbeing Retreat is about:

Escaping the every day to focus on you and your wellbeing
Enjoying a change of scenery allows us to be more creative in our business
The space gives our mind a chance to rest and think
When we do nice things for ourselves it makes us feel good
We meet with new people who spark conversations and ideas
We deserve the rest!

Secure your place with a £100 deposit today. Find out more here: www.garrettlearning.co.uk/work-retreat

Other September wellbeing dates for your diary:

1st: World Letter Writing Day
10th: World Suicide Prevention Day
18th: World Fitness Day
23rd-27th Happiness at Work Week
27th: World’s biggest Coffee Morning

Are you taking part in any of these dates? Share your comments and stories with us! We’d love to hear them!

See you soon!

Wendy

Want some help?

Lunch and learn workshops
Leadership and development sessions
MHFA England Programmes Open courses
Bespoke training
1:1 mentoring
The Work Retreat
Become a Workplace Well-being Hero!

Book a chat with Wendy here: https://scheduler.zoom.us/garrettlearning/1-1-cuppa-and-chat

Want to talk to me about bespoke training, please send me an email on wendy@garrettlearning.co.uk to discuss your requirements.

Want to book onto an open MHFA England programme? All upcoming open course dates can be found here: https://mhfaengland.org/public-profile/?id=53e0d92a-9711-e811-8127-e0071b664191

If you want a private cohort on a date to suit you, we can arrange this too. Please get in touch.

If you want to discuss your future plans, I’d love to hear them! Get in touch!

m: 07859 878 599

c: https://scheduler.zoom.us/garrettlearning/1-1-cuppa-and-chat

Y: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRq7TIWs7iqeaOvA3hdFN3w

Download your guide to Implement Mental Health First Aiders into your business

Posted on August 19, 2024 | by Wendy Garrett

This guide will provide tips and suggestions for implementing MHFAiders, share the benefits to your organisation and provide guidance on how to recruit the best people for the role.

We’ll also get you thinking about your wellbeing and mental health strategy.

Click on the image or click here

Going ‘All-In’ during July

Posted on July 29, 2024 | by Wendy Garrett

The Garrett Learning newsletter. A mental health and well-being update to find out what has been happening, what’s new & what’s coming up!

Inside this month’s issue:

Playing poker and the relationship between work and business
I’m wearing another hat! I’m becoming a networking representative!
Mental Health and wellbeing info

We are * Supportive * Curious * Welcoming * Encouraging * Straightforward * We are Garrett Learning.

What’s been happening?

July has been a fun month!

Garrett Learning turned 4! I’m excited to see my hairstyle for my 5th business birthday!

I started the month out in Spain with my hubby and parents. I went back to Mojacar, Costa Almeria, Spain. Have you heard of it? Perhaps, one or two of you.

I first visited this little gem of a place in 2003, my first posting as a Holiday Representative for First Choice. I loved welcoming guests at the airport and taking center stage at the welcome meeting. Give me an audience and a microphone and I’m in a very happy place!

In 21 years, I was expecting Mojacar to have changed alot, surprisingly, it hadn’t changed at all. It’s held onto its wonderful Spanish charm.

This weekend past, I played in the UK’s biggest poker tournament outside of Las Vegas. It was held in Coventry and loved the experience. There are many correlations between playing poker and being self-employed/climbing the career ladder.

I learned how to play poker at the back end of 2019 and then we went into lockdown. My husband Charlie has played for many years therefore I had time to learn and he had the time and patience to teach me! During lockdown we’d play a hand to see who would be doing the washing up after tea!

The more I have played poker, the more connections the game has with work and business.

1.Coaching/Mentoring:

To improve my poker game, last year I decided to invest in poker coaching with the fabulous Katie Swift. I have also worked with numerous business coaches and business growth mentors over the years. They’re an essential component to understand, to grow and develop.

I often get asked what is the difference between coaching and mentoring, simply put:

Coaching is where you’re asked questions to help you find the answer/solution yourself.
Mentoring is where the person has experience and shares their knowledge and experience with you.

In business and during the different stages of our careers, coaching/mentoring provides the space to understand personal challenges and gives an opportunity to talk to someone about them. The space created will provide clarity and a vision for the future. It extremely important to find these key people to help reach your full potential.

2.Adaptable mindset:

Business can be uncertain and so are the cards dealt at a poker table. We make decisions based on our past experiences, if the decision aligns with our values, sometimes decisions are made on gut feelings or they’re calculated decisions.

With a game of poker, the players don’t know the game plan of others sitting around the table. Adopting an open mindset it allows the player to think of all the other options; Could the game play be a trap? Were the cards played correctly? Was is the best strategy/approach to play? Did the player bet appropriately?

An open mindset in poker and business allows us to be receptive to new ideas and information. Each time a card is shown, we’re given further information on how strong our hand is. Adopting an open mindset means listening to other points of view (or in poker – watching how others play) and being self-aware to admit what you don’t know and learn from this.

When cards are played or a business decision is made, if we have an open mindset, it’s always a learning experience.

3. Going all-in!

During a poker game, players must constantly assess the potential risks and rewards of each decision made. In business, we can learn to do the same by carefully considering the potential costs and benefits of our choices, strategies applied and approaches to growth.

The poker term going ‘all-in’ refers to being fully committed. To go ‘all in’, the player is 100% confident that they’re holding the winning hand – It’s all or nothing.

Making business decisions is a similar approach. We assess our situation, we think about our options and the potential outcomes of those, we believe it’s the correct approach, it’s at that time we then go ‘all-in’.

What’s new?

Wendy of Garrett Learning is wearing a new hat!

I’m going to be a Brand Rep for Women Who UK. https://womenwhouk.co.uk/ It’s the first West Midlands networking group to run at The Four Stones in Clent on Friday 2nd August. I’m looking forward to meeting some new fantastic business owners.

What’s coming up?

The fantastic Sally Day of Saltoria Marketing will be joining the Workplace Wellbeing Heroes meet on Monday 5th August at 2pm for our third meeting. Sally will be sharing tips on how to engage our teams with successful internal communications.

If you are:

– Promoting mental health in the workplace

– A Mental Health First Aider

– A Wellbeing Ambassador

We welcome you to become a Workplace Wellbeing Hero!

You can join for £20 per month per person (forever!) or just join a one-off session for £35.

Find out more by visiting: www.garrettlearning.co.uk/services/workplace-well-being-hero/

What do you get for your money?

– Each month you can attend/watch the recording of an educational workshop.

– Attend quarterly workshops, invite your colleagues to help spread the message and raise awareness of mental health and wellbeing. You are a hero after all!

– You’ll connect with other like-minded people to exchange best practices, share ideas and support each other.

– Each session will host a Q&A section so you can bring your questions and queries.

What’s coming up?

Go ‘all in’ with your business on The Work and Wellbeing Retreat with Garrett Learning.

The Work Retreat is about:

Escaping the everyday to focus on you and your well-being
Enjoying a change of scenery allows us to be more creative in our business
The space gives our mind a chance to rest and think
When we do nice things for ourselves it makes us feel good
We meet with new people that spark conversations and ideas
We deserve the rest!

Come and join us on 29th -31st January and set your intention for the year.

Secure your place with a £100 deposit today. Find out more here: www.garrettlearning.co.uk/work-retreat

What is happening in August?

Prepare for the month ahead with the upcoming mental health and wellbeing awareness dates. Please find some useful links to offer further information.

The monthly focus is ‘Altruistic August’. This month, create kind goal-directed action that helps improve someone else’s welfare through acts of kindness. Want some ideas? Check out the Action for Happiness monthly calendar here: https://actionforhappiness.org/altruistic-august

Other dates for your diary:

2nd – National Colouring book day, https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/coloring-book-day/
7th – National Speakers Day, https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/professional-speakers-day/
8th – International Cat Day, https://icatcare.org/international-cat-day/
9th – Book Lovers Day, https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/book-lovers-day/
19th – National Moving Day, https://www.nationalmovingday.co.uk/
26th – International Dog Day, https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/dog-day/

Have a great month of August.

Take care,

Wendy

Want some help?

Lunch and learn workshops
Leadership and development sessions
MHFA England Programmes Open courses
Bespoke training
1:1 mentoring
The Work Retreat
Become a Workplace Well-being Hero!

Book a chat with Wendy here: https://scheduler.zoom.us/garrettlearning/1-1-cuppa-and-chat

Want to talk to me about bespoke training, please send me an email on wendy@garrettlearning.co.uk to discuss your requirements.

Want to book onto an open MHFA England programme? All upcoming open course dates can be found here: https://mhfaengland.org/public-profile/?id=53e0d92a-9711-e811-8127-e0071b664191

If you want a private cohort on a date to suit you, we can arrange this too. Please get in touch.

If you want to discuss your future plans, I’d love to hear them! Get in touch!

m: 07859 878 599

c: https://scheduler.zoom.us/garrettlearning/1-1-cuppa-and-chat

Y: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRq7TIWs7iqeaOvA3hdFN3w

Half way through the year – It’s June!

Posted on June 28, 2024 | by Wendy Garrett

The Garrett Learning newsletter. A mental health and well-being update to find out what has been happening, what’s new & what’s coming up!

We are * Supportive * Curious * Welcoming * Encouraging * Straightforward * We are Garrett Learning.

Inside this month’s issue:

What I learned from a night watching Foo Fighters!
A new service for the Workplace Well-being Heroes out there!
Mental Health Awareness dates for your diary

What’s been happening?

I went to see the Foo Fighters last night with my mate Rich.

They’ve been on my list to see for a few years now. We only bought our tickets the night before. It was an incredible performance. Such talented musicians!

The lyrics to ‘These Days’ made me stop and reflect:

‘One of these days, the clocks will stop, and time won’t mean a thing. One of these days your heart will stop and play its final beat’.

I spend so much time being ‘too’ busy and I’m not always present in the moment as I’m thinking about the next event on the calendar.

I’m trying to be more present in the moment by adapting how I live my life:

1)Making time for your ‘non-negotiables’. There are some tasks/activities that are important to you and we should protect our time for them.

It might be spending time on your own, with other key people in your life, moving your body. Here’s some further reading about non-negotiables.

2) Knowing that I can say no to an event if it’s something I don’t partially want to do. I ask myself why I’m saying yes. Ask: am I saying yes to please others or for myself? Take a moment.

If you want to say no to an invitation, politely thank the person for the invite and say you are unable to attend on this occasion.

3) A couple of weeks ago some friends asked about meeting up soon. I checked the diary for my free weekends. Bearing in mind we are in June, my next free weekend is in August, and I only have four free weekends before the end of the year! Yes, if you need to re-read that, only four weekends without plans over the next six months!

I have too much on!

What happens next – I will be going through the diary and checking what I have said ‘yes’ to and re-evaluating if it’s something that I actually want to do. I plan to remove some events from the diary. The weekdays are busy with work and I know I need time at the weekend, to rest and enjoy sitting peacefully in my garden without the demands of watching the clock and needing to be somewhere.

If I make time for myself and become less busy, I can be more present in the activities and time spent with others as I’m not rushing to the next task.

Well, that’s the plan! I will let you know how that goes!

I was invited to be a speaker at the first Early Years Conference in Birmingham. We spoke about well-being in the workplace and it was great to be surrounded by extremely passionate people within their industry.

There are so many challenges in the Early Years Sector, from the difficulty in recruiting and retaining the team to the increasing demands placed on the industry, funding and the children that come into their care.

Focusing on team well-being is essential, for the team and the leaders. It was great to be on the discussion panel too. Together we will make a difference.

What’s new?

I’ve been invited to partner with a housing association, Community Housing in Kidderminster to work with their leadership team. They initially booked four half-day sessions on ‘Mental Health and Well-being Support for Leaders’. The uptake, feedback and demand has been incredible! Three more dates have been booked.

The feedback received demonstrates how they will be applying their learning in their role:

Want to talk to me about bespoke training, please send me an email on wendy@garrettlearning.co.uk to discuss your requirements.

Want to book onto an open MHFA England programme? All upcoming open course dates can be found here: https://mhfaengland.org/public-profile/?id=53e0d92a-9711-e811-8127-e0071b664191

If you want a private cohort on a date to suit you, we can arrange this too. Please get in touch.

What else is new?

We ran our first Workplace Well-being Hero meet-up. This is what Christelle had to say on the session:

‘An enjoyable learning experience where Wendy set the tone and direction we’ll take this year. As more people join the session, the learning experience will be enhanced through sharings and conversations, leading to more ideas. Wendy was great at building rapport at the beginning of the meeting, and she was able to convey her message clearly. The slides are good supporting materials. So far so good’.

If you are:

– Promoting mental health in the workplace

– A Mental Health First Aider

– A Well-being Ambassador

We welcome you to become a Workplace Mental Health and Wellbeing Hero!

You can join for £20 per month per person (forever!) Find out more by visiting: www.garrettlearning.co.uk/services/workplace-well-being-hero/

What do you get for your money?

– Each month you can attend/watch the recording of an educational workshop.

– Attend quarterly workshops, invite your colleagues to help spread the message and raise awareness of mental health and wellbeing. You are a hero after all!

– You’ll connect with other like-minded people to exchange best practices, share ideas and support each other. Ideal if you’re the only mental health-trained person in your organisation.

– Each session will host a Q&A section so you can bring your questions and queries.