You Are Not A Frog
341 episodes - English - Latest episode: 8 days ago - ★★★★★ - 1 ratingThe podcast for GPs, hospital doctors and other professionals in high-stakes, high-stress jobs who want to thrive rather than just survive.
You studied for years, you’re really good at what you do but you’ve noticed that you’re starting to feel overwhelmed, overworked and under-resourced. You may be comparing yourself to a frog in boiling water - the heat has built up so slowly that you haven’t noticed the extra-long days becoming the norm. You may feel on the edge and trapped in the very job that you’ve spent years working towards.
Here’s the problem, frogs only have two choices; stay and be boiled alive, or jump out of the pan. The good news is that you are not a frog. You have many more choices than you think you do. You don’t have to quit, and nor should stress and burnout be inevitable.
It is possible to be master of your own destiny, to craft your work life and career so that you can thrive even in the most difficult of situations. There are simple changes you can make which will make a huge difference to your stress levels and help you enjoy life again.
Your host is Dr Rachel Morris, GP turned Executive Coach and Specialist in Resilience at Work who knows what it’s like to feel like an exhausted frog. In the podcast, she’ll be talking to friends, colleagues and experts all who have an interesting take on resilience for clever people in high-stakes, high-stress jobs so that together you can take back control to beat stress and burnout, survive and thrive.
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Episodes
A Creative Solution to Stress with Ruth Cocksedge
February 04, 2020 08:00 - 35 minutes - 24.5 MBIn this episode, Rachel is joined by Ruth Cocksedge a Practitioner Psychologist who started her career as a mental health nurse. She practices in Cambridge and has a particular interest in EMDR for PTSD and creative writing as a way to improve mental health and wellbeing. We chat about EMDR and how it can help with PTSD, and discuss some antidotes to anxiety and stress such as mindfulness and self-compassion. So much of how we feel is a result of our own self-talk and learning to be kind t...
Burgers, Busyness and Business with Tara Humphrey
January 28, 2020 08:00 - 43 minutes - 30.1 MBIn this episode, Rachel is joined by Tara Humphrey, Founder and CEO of THC Primary Care and host of the podcast ‘The Business of Healthcare with TaraHumphrey’ We chat about the main mistakes GPs and other professionals make when trying to run a business, either trying to do everything themselves or not paying enough attention to the business side of things. Even if we don’t run a practice, many of us are self-employed and are running ourselves as a business! Time is often our limiting fact...
Burgers, busyness and business with Tara Humphrey
January 28, 2020 08:00 - 43 minutes - 29.7 MBIn this episode, Rachel is joined by Tara Humphrey, Founder and CEO of THC Primary Care and host of the podcast ‘The Business of Healthcare with Tara Humphrey’ We chat about the main mistakes GPs and other professionals make when trying to run a business, either trying to do everything themselves or not paying enough attention to the business side of things. Even if we don’t run a practice, many of us are self-employed and are running ourselves as a business! Time is often our limiting fac...
Help! Work is Taking Over My Life, with Dr Jamie Wyllie
January 21, 2020 08:00 - 35 minutes - 24.7 MBIn this episode, Rachel is joined by Dr Jamie Wyllie for another Ask the Frog episode We chat about what happens when work starts to seep into every aspect of our lives. How to create a ‘third space’ between work and home so that we get ourselves out of work mode to be fully present in parent / partner / friend mode. We think about what we can do to stop ourselves obsessing about unfinished work and how perhaps the ‘inbox to zero’ mindset can be unhelpful when this just might not be possi...
Help! Work is taking over my life, with Dr Jamie Wyllie
January 21, 2020 08:00 - 35 minutes - 24.2 MBIn this episode, Rachel is joined by Dr Jamie Wyllie for another Ask the Frog episode We chat about what happens when work starts to seep into every aspect of our lives. How to create a ‘third space’ between work and home so that we get ourselves out of work mode to be fully present in parent / partner / friend mode. We think about what we can do to stop ourselves obsessing about unfinished work and how perhaps the ‘inbox to zero’ mindset can be unhelpful when this just might not be possi...
The Self-Help Book Club - First Edition, with Dr Nik Kendrew
January 14, 2020 08:00 - 45 minutes - 31 MBIn this episode, Rachel is joined again by Dr Nik Kendrew, self-confessed self-help bookaholic to chat about books and apps that have made an impact on their lives recently. We chat about how reading self-help books sometimes gets a bad press and how we, personally get an immense amount of value from them. Amongst other recommendations, Nik talks about ‘The Little Book of Resilience’ by Matthew Johnstone and the effect that this book has had on him, from understanding how we all put on a ‘...
The Self-Help Book Club - First Edition, with Dr Nik Kendrew
January 14, 2020 08:00 - 45 minutes - 31.5 MBIn this episode, Rachel is joined again by Dr Nik Kendrew, self-confessed self-help bookaholic to chat about books and apps that have made an impact on their lives recently. We chat about how reading self-help books sometimes gets a bad press and how we, personally get an immense amount of value from them. Amongst other recommendations, Nik talks about ‘The Little Book of Resilience’ by Matthew Johnstone and the effect that this book has had on him, from understanding how we all put on a ‘...
Productivity hacks for a calm and effective life, with Dr Gandalf
January 07, 2020 08:00 - 46 minutes - 31.9 MBIn this episode, Rachel is joined by Dr Hussain Ghandi aka Dr Gandalf, GP, PCN Director, creator of eGPLearning and host of the popular eGPLearning Podblast We chat about how to be more efficient and effective by making those tiny, incremental changes which, when added up will save us a whole heap of time. We delve into Ghandi’s daily routine to find out how he can fit so much in and discuss simple productivity hacks that GPs, doctors and people in other busy jobs can use – no tech needed!...
Productivity hacks for a calm and effective life, with Dr Gandalf
January 07, 2020 08:00 - 46 minutes - 31.9 MBIn this episode, Rachel is joined by Dr Hussain Ghandi aka Dr Gandalf, GP, PCN Director, creator of eGPLearning and host of the popular eGPLearning Podblast We chat about how to be more efficient and effective by making those tiny, incremental changes which, when added up will save us a whole heap of time. We delve into Ghandi’s daily routine to find out how he can fit so much in and discuss simple productivity hacks that GPs, doctors and people in other busy jobs can use – no tech needed!...
Productivity Hacks for a Calm and Effective Life, with Dr Gandalf
January 07, 2020 08:00 - 47 minutes - 32.3 MBIn this episode, Rachel is joined by Dr Hussain Ghandi aka Dr Gandalf, GP, PCN Director, creator of eGPLearning and host of the popular eGPLearning Podblast We chat about how to be more efficient and effective by making those tiny, incremental changes which, when added up will save us a whole heap of time. We delve into Ghandi’s daily routine to find out how he can fit so much in and discuss simple productivity hacks that GPs, doctors and people in other busy jobs can use – no tech needed!...
Eff it Living. An Evidence-Based Way to Beat Stress and Change Your Life with John C Parkin
December 17, 2019 08:00 - 46 minutes - 31.8 MBIn this episode, Rachel is joined by John C Parkin, author of the bestselling F**k It: The ultimate spiritual way, to talk about the powerful philosophy behind the F**k It mentality, and how using it can make our lives better. We chat about how the phrase F**k it is so powerful as it helps us form a bridge from our left brain to our right brain to access the very powerful, creative aspects of brains – the part of ourselves which lives in the present and helps us to truly relax. We discuss ...
Eff It Living. An evidence-based way to beat stress and change your life. With John C. Parkin
December 17, 2019 08:00 - 45 minutes - 31.5 MBIn this episode, Rachel is joined by John C Parkin, author of the bestselling F**k It: The ultimate spiritual way, to talk about the powerful philosophy behind the F**k It mentality, and how using it can make our lives better. We chat about how the phrase F**k it is so powerful as it helps us form a bridge from our left brain to our right brain to access the very powerful, creative aspects of brains – the part of ourselves which lives in the present and helps us to truly relax. We discuss ...
Help! My senior partner is a jerk, with Dr Jamie Wyllie
December 10, 2019 08:00 - 37 minutes - 25.8 MBIn this episode, Rachel is joined by Dr Jamie Wyllie co-author and presenter of the Red Whale Lead. Manage. Thrive! Course. This is an ‘Ask the Frog’ episode where we chat about a question that we are often asked by GPs – how do I influence someone who is set in their ways, resistant to change and autocratic? We discuss the need to get on the same branch as them, to recognise what their thoughts and feelings are and ultimately, understand what their needs are. We discuss what it is to be ...
Help! My Senior Partner is a Jerk, with Dr Jamie Wyllie
December 10, 2019 08:00 - 38 minutes - 26.3 MBIn this episode, Rachel is joined by Dr Jamie Wyllie co-author and presenter of the Red Whale Lead. Manage. Thrive! Course. This is an ‘Ask the Frog’ episode where we chat about a question that we are often asked by GPs – how do I influence someone who is set in their ways, resistant to change and autocratic? We discuss the need to get on the same branch as them, to recognise what their thoughts and feelings are and ultimately, understand what their needs are. We discuss what it is to be ...
Yes you really do need friends at work and other life hacks, with Dr James Thambyrajah
December 03, 2019 08:00 - 36 minutes - 24.8 MBIn this episode, Rachel is joined by Dr James Thambyrajah, a portfolio GP and the outgoing South West Thames Faculty RCGP First5 lead. We chat about how James approaches his work, and the difference in outlook between newly qualified GPs and those of us who are in their mid or late career. We talk about healthy ways to approach our work and the importance of maintaining a good life – work balance, making time for what is important. Mental health problems and burnout are also prevalent i...
Yes You Really Do Need Friends at Work and Other Life Hacks, with Dr James Thambyrajah
December 03, 2019 08:00 - 36 minutes - 25.3 MBIn this episode, Rachel is joined by Dr James Thambyrajah, a portfolio GP and the outgoing South West Thames Faculty RCGP First5 lead. We chat about how James approaches his work, and the difference in outlook between newly qualified GPs and those of us who are in their mid or late career. We talk about healthy ways to approach our work and the importance of maintaining a good life – work balance, making time for what is important. Mental health problems and burnout are also prevalent i...
When doctors lose someone they love, with Dr Jo Scrivens
November 26, 2019 08:00 - 40 minutes - 28 MBIn this episode, Rachel is joined by Dr Jo Scrivens, Portfolio GP, Cambridgeshire LMC member and Red Whale Lead. Manage. Thrive! Course co-presenter. We chat about what happened when her Mother died following a diagnosis of cancer. Jo speaks about how this affected her, how she coped with going through the diagnosis and treatment process with her family and how she managed her family and work whilst this was all going on. We talk about the relief she felt when a Macmillan nurse told Jo s...
When doctors lose someone they love, with Dr Jo Scrivens
November 26, 2019 08:00 - 40 minutes - 28 MBIn this episode, Rachel is joined by Dr Jo Scrivens, Portfolio GP, Cambridgeshire LMC member and Red Whale Lead. Manage. Thrive! Course co-presenter. We chat about what happened when her Mother died following a diagnosis of cancer. Jo speaks about how this affected her, how she coped with going through the diagnosis and treatment process with her family and how she managed her family and work whilst this was all going on. We talk about the relief she felt when a Macmillan nurse told Jo s...
When Doctors Lose Someone They Love, with Dr Jo Scrivens
November 26, 2019 08:00 - 41 minutes - 28.5 MBIn this episode, Rachel is joined by Dr Jo Scrivens, Portfolio GP, Cambridgeshire LMC member and Red Whale Lead. Manage. Thrive! Course co-presenter. We chat about what happened when her Mother died following a diagnosis of cancer. Jo speaks about how this affected her, how she coped with going through the diagnosis and treatment process with her family and how she managed her family and work whilst this was all going on. We talk about the relief she felt when a Macmillan nurse told Jo s...
The magical art of reading sweary books with Dr Liz O’Riordan
November 19, 2019 08:00 - 41 minutes - 28.3 MBIn this episode, Rachel is joined once again by Dr Liz O’Riordan, the ‘Breast Surgeon with Breast Cancer’, TEDx speaker, author, blogger, triathlete and all round superstar who has been nominated for ‘Woman of the Year’. She is also an BMA Award-winning co-author of ‘The Complete Guide to Breast Cancer: How to feel empowered and take control’. We chat about the many books in the F**k it genre of books, particularly the ones by Liz’s favourite author Sarah Knight. We chat about how these boo...
The magical art of reading sweary books with Dr Liz O’Riorden
November 19, 2019 08:00 - 41 minutes - 28.3 MBIn this episode, Rachel is joined once again by Dr Liz O’Riorden, the ‘Breast Surgeon with Breast Cancer’, TEDx speaker, author, blogger, triathlete and all round superstar who has been nominated for ‘Woman of the Year’. She is also an BMA Award-winning co-author of ‘The Complete Guide to Breast Cancer: How to feel empowered and take control’. We chat about the many books in the F**k it genre of books, particularly the ones by Liz’s favourite author Sarah Knight. We chat about how these boo...
The Magical Art of Reading Sweary Books with Dr Liz O’Riordan
November 19, 2019 08:00 - 41 minutes - 28.7 MBIn this episode, Rachel is joined once again by Dr Liz O’Riordan, the ‘Breast Surgeon with Breast Cancer’, TEDx speaker, author, blogger, triathlete and all round superstar who has been nominated for ‘Woman of the Year’. She is also an BMA Award-winning co-author of ‘The Complete Guide to Breast Cancer: How to feel empowered and take control’. We chat about the many books in the F**k it genre of books, particularly the ones by Liz’s favourite author Sarah Knight. We chat about how these boo...
What we’re talking about when we talk about Compassion Fatigue with Agnes Otzelberger
November 12, 2019 08:00 - 48 minutes - 33.3 MBIn this episode, Rachel is joined by Agnes Otzelberger, a trainer, research and activist with a special interest in what happens when we tire of ‘doing good’. We chat about what can happen to carers, healthcare staff and humanitarian workers when they become overwhelmed and burnt out by the magnitude of the needs and the suffering of the people they are dealing with on a day to day basis. We discuss how the symptoms affect us and ultimately can make us disillusioned and can end up with us l...
What We’re Talking About When We Talk About Compassion Fatigue with Agnes Otzelberger
November 12, 2019 08:00 - 49 minutes - 33.7 MBIn this episode, Rachel is joined by Agnes Otzelberger, a trainer, research and activist with a special interest in what happens when we tire of ‘doing good’. We chat about what can happen to carers, healthcare staff and humanitarian workers when they become overwhelmed and burnt out by the magnitude of the needs and the suffering of the people they are dealing with on a day to day basis. We discuss how the symptoms affect us and ultimately can make us disillusioned and can end up with us l...
Making Change Happen in a World Full of NoNos, with Ben Gowland
November 05, 2019 08:00 - 36 minutes - 24.9 MBIn this episode, Rachel is joined by Ben Gowland, Director of Ockham Healthcare and host of The General Practice Podcast. We chat about why changes work or fail - it’s often dependent how we do the change rather than what we are trying to change, so how we make changes is a really important part of how we run our practices. We talk about the best approach to change and discuss how John Kotter’s book suggests starting with a focus on the problem, helping colleagues to see the reason that ...
Making change happen in a world full of NoNos, with Ben Gowland
November 05, 2019 08:00 - 35 minutes - 24.4 MBIn this episode, Rachel is joined by Ben Gowland, Director of Ockham Healthcare and host of The General Practice Podcast. We chat about why changes work or fail - it’s often dependent how we do the change rather than what we are trying to change, so how we make changes is a really important part of how we run our practices. We talk about the best approach to change and discuss how John Kotter’s book suggests starting with a focus on the problem, helping colleagues to see the reason that ...
Emotions and vulnerability, friend or foe? with Dr Haidar Al-Hakim
October 29, 2019 08:00 - 29 minutes - 20.3 MBIn this episode, Rachel is joined by Dr Haidar Al-Hakim, the Third Eye Doctor, Podcaster, Speaker, Opthalmologist and author of the book Physician on Fire. We chat about emotions and vulnerability, are they helpful or not, and why we sometimes find it so difficult to understand what we really need, and who we really are. We discuss the importance of finding someone who really gets you, who you can talk things over with and some strategies to get back to ourselves. *Caution, this episode c...
Emotions and Vulnerability, Friend or Foe? with Dr Haidar Al-Hakim
October 29, 2019 08:00 - 30 minutes - 20.8 MBIn this episode, Rachel is joined by Dr Haidar Al-Hakim, the Third Eye Doctor, Podcaster, Speaker, Opthalmologist and author of the book Physician on Fire. We chat about emotions and vulnerability, are they helpful or not, and why we sometimes find it so difficult to understand what we really need, and who we really are. We discuss the importance of finding someone who really gets you, who you can talk things over with and some strategies to get back to ourselves. *Caution, this episode c...
Why Saying Yes is Far More Dangerous Than Saying No with Dr Katie Bramall-Stainer
October 22, 2019 08:00 - 38 minutes - 26.4 MBIn this episode, Rachel is joined by Dr Katie Bramall-Stainer, CEO of Cambridgeshire LMC, GPC and BMA Council member and one of Pulse’s Power 50 GPs. We chat about her journey as an activist in helping make GPs lives better and discuss how things can go wrong so quickly when we try to be too nice and too helpful. Podcast links Sign up for downloadable CPD reflection forms plus more tools and resources Follow Katie on twitter and LinkedIn Cambridgeshire LMC For more episodes of You ar...
Why saying yes is far more dangerous than saying no with Dr Katie Bramall-Stainer
October 22, 2019 07:00 - 37 minutes - 25.9 MBIn this episode, Rachel is joined by Dr Katie Bramall-Stainer, CEO of Cambridgeshire LMC, GPC and BMA Council member and one of Pulse’s Power 50 GPs. We chat about her journey as an activist in helping make GPs lives better and discuss how things can go wrong so quickly when we try to be too nice and too helpful. Podcast links Sign up for downloadable CPD reflection forms plus more tools and resources Follow Katie on twitter and LinkedIn Cambridgeshire LMC For more episodes of You ar...
Making Small Changes to Get Great Results with Dr Rosanna Hunt
October 15, 2019 09:00 - 34 minutes - 24 MBIn this episode, Rachel is joined by Dr Rosanna Hunt a Psychologist who works with NHS Horizons. We chat about how their team absence rates were far too high, so they decided to try to improve the wellbeing of their team using 30-day sprints and quality improvement processes. They did one small action at a time and measured the effect. They reduced sickness rates from 15% to just 3%. The results were surprising, and we discuss the small changes you can make within your team to get the sam...
Making small changes to get great results with Dr Rosanna Hunt
October 15, 2019 08:00 - 34 minutes - 23.5 MBIn this episode, Rachel is joined by Dr Rosanna Hunt a Psychologist who works with NHS Horizons. We chat about how their team absence rates were far too high, so they decided to try to improve the wellbeing of their team using 30-day sprints and quality improvement processes. They did one small action at a time and measured the effect. They reduced sickness rates from 15% to just 3%. The results were surprising, and we discuss the small changes you can make within your team to get the sam...
Creative Career Management with Dr Adam Harrison
October 08, 2019 06:00 - 34 minutes - 23.7 MBIn this episode, Rachel is joined by Dr Adam Harrison, Portfolio GP, Vice Chair Notts LMC and dual-qualified Medical Barrister We chat about his career journey, how he diversified and found a varied and fulfilling career. We talk about the importance of networking, as many of the jobs we have done weren’t advertised. We talk about how to find these jobs using tools such as LinkedIn and good old-fashioned email and phone calls. Finally, we discuss the power of coaching and how this can tra...
How to survive the really tough stuff with Liz O'Riordan
July 19, 2019 14:00 - 42 minutes - 29 MBIn this episode, Rachel is joined by award-winning Dr Liz O’Riordan, the ‘Breast Surgeon with Breast Cancer’, TEDx speaker, author, blogger, triathlete and all-round superstar who has been nominated for ‘Woman of the Year’. We chat about what it’s like to receive a devastating diagnosis as a doctor and how hard it can be to be a patient. We talk about our own unrealistic expectations and knowing your own limits. We also chat about how our expectations of ourselves are very different if we ...
How to Survive the Really Tough Stuff with Liz O'Riordan
July 19, 2019 14:00 - 42 minutes - 29.5 MBIn this episode, Rachel is joined by award-winning Dr Liz O’Riordan, the ‘Breast Surgeon with Breast Cancer’, TEDx speaker, author, blogger, triathlete and all-round superstar who has been nominated for ‘Woman of the Year’. We chat about what it’s like to receive a devastating diagnosis as a doctor and how hard it can be to be a patient. We talk about our own unrealistic expectations and knowing your own limits. We also chat about how our expectations of ourselves are very different if we ...
Your passions may not be what you think they are, with Dr Surina Chibber
July 17, 2019 15:00 - 31 minutes - 21.5 MBIn this episode, Rachel is joined by Dr Surina Chibber, Portfolio GP, Red Whale GP Update Presenter and co-Founder of mylocummanager.com who was named as one of Pulse Magazine’s ‘Rising Stars’ last year. We talk about how the journey Surina has been on from locum GP to the founder of tech company, what she’s learned along the way, and the surprising truth that sometimes we find our passions as a result of following our interests, not following our passions. We chat about how to develop your ...
Your Passions May Not Be What You Think They Are, with Dr Surina Chibber
July 17, 2019 15:00 - 32 minutes - 22 MBIn this episode, Rachel is joined by Dr Surina Chibber, Portfolio GP, Red Whale GP Update Presenter and co-Founder of mylocummanager.com who was named as one of Pulse Magazine’s ‘Rising Stars’ last year. We talk about how the journey Surina has been on from locum GP to the founder of tech company, what she’s learned along the way, and the surprising truth that sometimes we find our passions as a result of following our interests, not following our passions. We chat about how to develop your ...
Tiny habits, big changes, with Dr Katherine Hickman
July 17, 2019 15:00 - 36 minutes - 25.1 MBIn this episode, Rachel is joined by Dr Katherine Hickman, GP working in Bradford, Respiratory Lead and Tiny Habits® Coach. Katherine has been through her own episode of stress and burnout and we talk about how she got through and changed her life by using the ‘tiny habits’ technique. We explore about how these tiny habits can produce huge changes and talk through how you can start to use this technique to help make changes in everyday life, and even at work. Podcast links Sign up for dow...
Tiny Habits, Big Changes, with Dr Katherine Hickman
July 17, 2019 15:00 - 37 minutes - 25.6 MBIn this episode, Rachel is joined by Dr Katherine Hickman, GP working in Bradford, Respiratory Lead and Tiny Habits® Coach. Katherine has been through her own episode of stress and burnout and we talk about how she got through and changed her life by using the ‘tiny habits’ technique. We explore about how these tiny habits can produce huge changes and talk through how you can start to use this technique to help make changes in everyday life, and even at work. Podcast links Sign up for dow...
When doctors get ill, with Dr Nik Kendrew
July 09, 2019 09:00 - 43 minutes - 29.7 MBFor this episode, Rachel is joined by Dr Nik Kendrew GP Partner, Red Whale GP Update presenter and GP media guru. We chat about what happens when we get ill and discuss why is it that we are so slow to recognise when we shouldn’t be at work? Why do we find it so hard to take time off and why do we find it so hard to admit when we’re not really coping? Follow Nik at @nikkendrew Podcast links Sign up for downloadable CPD reflection forms plus more tools and resources This is going to hurt...
When Doctors Get Ill, with Dr Nik Kendrew
July 09, 2019 09:00 - 43 minutes - 30.2 MBFor this episode, Rachel is joined by Dr Nik Kendrew GP Partner, Red Whale GP Update presenter and GP media guru. We chat about what happens when we get ill and discuss why is it that we are so slow to recognise when we shouldn’t be at work? Why do we find it so hard to take time off and why do we find it so hard to admit when we’re not really coping? Follow Nik at @nikkendrew Podcast links Sign up for downloadable CPD reflection forms plus more tools and resources This is going to hurt...