You Care, I Care

Vicky Whipp of Sage & Elder talks about moving home in later life and the way in which she can help her clients from an initial conversation around what they are looking for to sourcing appropriate properties in the area they are looking to move to.The service covers a wide variety of aspects that people may or may not have thought of and Vicky talks about the love of what she does with both enthusiasm and empathy

I have been very honoured to be able to have Baroness Lister of Burtersett on my my podcast You Care, I Care, discussing the issues around child poverty and the issues faced by families today.Having written and worked on many books and articles about poverty, social security and women's citizenship, it was absolutely fascinating and a real learning curve for me to be able to discuss so many issues that are often brushed under the carpet.There was much more we could have and hopefully will discuss further in the future but it is really a very interesting discussion with Ruth which did at times cover some controversial issues

Laura Parsons has acquired Shreeve Care Services to work alongside SLP Independent Living.Based on the work SLP already do to ensure that people can live well - independently, along with their personal alarm service and a 24/7 response service and providing garden maintenance, property repairs and adaptions, the acquisition of Shreeve Care Services enables a greater variety and depth of services to be offered to clients.For further information please contact www.slipindependentliving.co.uk, www.shreevecareservices.co.uk Tel no. 01793 557197

Sophie has been involved in the care sector from a very young age when her mother started providing care to people in her own home.From there Sophie continued working in care and is a Director of Manor Community Care.Sophie's passion for providing care and support across all sectors is very evident and her work with Coproduce Care ensuring up to date topics are discussed and information is available, along with working with the Care Workers Charity is truly inspirational.

Having met Gemma Kenney and Kaylee Mowatt last year and discussed their private Occupational Therapy practice they have built over the last few years, it was an absolute pleasure to talk with them and discuss their work.I understand that we always refer to them as OTs but they explain what an Occupational Therapist works and how they help their patients become ever more independent.

Having not done a solo podcast for some time, Janet Shreeve updates her plans for the next few months and highlights some of the clients she works with.Exciting times ahead with various projects and looking forward to where things will go

Calin Istrate having qualified as a nurse and moved to the UK decided to set up Homecare Ipswich providing domiciliary care and complex care in Suffolk.Calin decided to work in the care sector and qualify as a nurse after his mother fell ill.  He could have remained working in the construction sector but knew that he really wanted to help support people.He is one of the few agencies in the Ipswich area who is able to take on TDDI clients, (Treatment of Disease, Disorder or Injury) and is developing his business to take on more complex cases.Calin is able to support clients with their Attendance Allowance and also with CHC applications.Talking with Calin about his plans for the business and the ethos around his business is inspiring.

I had the pleasure to speak with Nina Parry of Nina's Law about her life, her campaign and her plans for change.Nina was in Thaliand when the Tsunami happened, and she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis less than a year later.  Having had to adapt her daily routine, life plans and family around the ever increasing complexity of living with MS, Nina started  the campaign for Nina's Law which would enable people who have complex needs to be able to have their regular carers with them when they are admitted to hospital.  The reason for this is that regular carers understand their clients and the importance of this cannot be underestimated.  Some hospitals like the Great Western Hospital in Swindon are very supportive but others are far less so.Nina has many MPs who are also supporting her with her campaign and she has nearly 46000 signatures already.For more information email [email protected]

My guest today is David ‘Budge’ Price, talking about the trials and tribulations that have been ongoing with care for Gina.This is the 4th podcast where Budge talked to me about Gina’s story. The first time was in October, 24, then December 2024 lastly, November 25. (If you haven’t heard Budge’s previous interviews, you may like to listen before hearing this one.)The summer of ‘25 has been difficult for the family. After moving into their new home a time that should have been exciting turned sour when the reclining chair that the council sent for Gina to sit in was awful. As you’ll hear from our conversation - it was far from ideal – especially, considering Gina’s many needs. Due to the lack of comfort that the chair was providing Gina with, in the end, Budge had to go and buy a chair himself, which was incredibly costly. However, the difference the new chair has made has been incredible.Following this the next issue the family had was a break-down between the care provider and Budge. He talks about the huge amount of stress he has been through over the last two years. Because Gina still needs care, to be taken to hospital visits etc, Budge never has time for himself. Care and loving his wife is his complete focus, and he was caring for her 24/7 – the entire time, morning to night.Not surprisingly, it made him ill, so he approached their care providers to ask about having someone who could come in and sit with Gina while he had time to go out on his own; meet friends for a coffee; shop, or go for a walk. But the important thing to Budge was that it would be best to have one of the members of staff who were already working with Gina and had built up a great relationship. As you’ll hear, this wasn’t to be. The care provider didn’t listen. They didn’t once ask Budge what he and Gina needed. There was a complete communication breakdown – not between the carers who were already working with Gina, but with the office side of the care providers business.Budge was becoming ill himself, and in the end he contacted a new provider who did everything you’d expect a good care provider to do – they asked what he and Gina wanted. They trained the carers that were going to work with her and spent time building the relationships. Now Budge is enjoying time to himself and feeling a lot less stressed.If you want to find out about care in any shape or form you can contact me:Website: https://shreevecareservices.co.uk/ Email: [email protected]

My guest today is Kevin Griffiths of The Care Show in Swindon. He explains how he got involved in The Care Show, after a friend messaged him while he was on holiday and then told him exactly what she’d done, and how he, as someone who has great hospitality experience, could help.Kevin goes on to talk about why he was so keen to join his friend in this venture, which they took over in August. Swindon as an area has a huge number of people involved in the care industry, but like many large cities and towns, they don’t have a space where they can come together and connect. The show will give people an opportunity to look at new innovations and ideas.With The Care Show, they are looking to get people who work in care along so that they can have time away from their work to explore the new ideas, talk to other people working in the same industry, and also how they can take care of themselves.One of the things that Kevin talks about is how expensive care is, and wanting to make it more affordable. People don’t understand what is possible when it comes to care or understand the diversity of needs in care. Again, these are the sorts of things they want to talk about at the care show – let people see what the choices are open to them. Kevin shares information about who is going to exhibit at the show too – some that you would expect, like care services and specialised equipment. Whereas some of the other things you might not have considered - includes will writers and powers of attorney.We also talk about the idea of a care networking group in the future, to provide a supportive space for care professionals.For those of you interested in going along to The Care Show Swindon, it’s on January 29, 2026 at the Double Tree by Hilton, starting at 9am. There are still stands available if you’re interested, they are available on the website.To contact Kevin about The Care Show visit: http://www.thecareshow.co.uk

My podcast guest today is Clare Hodges who works at Blenheim House, part of Berkley Care Group, where she is manager of the 85 bed home.She has been with Berkley for almost seven years, and talks about how she had a break from Blenheim to oversee another care home within the group, Leicester House in Warwick. As much as she enjoyed seeing another Berkley home, she is glad to be back in Blenheim House.Blenheim is the biggest home in the Berkley group, and the team look after people with very different needs. The home includes nursing, a dementia unit and a residential environment – to support all the different needs. They’re a regulated home, which means there are always lessons to be learned, and feedback given to the care team. Clare’s biggest passion is about supporting her team, and ensuring an atmosphere of transparency and openness in all they do.Most of her work is about leading and supporting the team who care for the 85 residents. Clare prefers the word  leader to manager – finding the latter an old-fashioned word and in some ways suggests micromanaging, rather than being able to empower her team to be the best they can.She talks about the importance of speaking with the family members of residents to ensure that each person receives the best care possible for their loved one. Many of the residents have dementia and no one person behaves in the same way, so they all require their own personal care. She and her team work hard for this to be put in place.People are at the centre of Clare’s priorities, whether it’s her team, the residents, their families, or the CQC inspector – and she works to address those differing priorities on a daily basis.To contact Clare:Website: https://www.berkleycaregroup.co.uk/the-berkley-collection/wiltshire/blenheim-house/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/berkeleyhealthcaregroup/

On today's episode of You Care, I Care, I'm talking to Paul Turner who is a lawyer from FT Chronic Pain Solicitors. We haven't known each other long at all but as soon as we realised what each other does we knew there was a synergy. Paul explains what he does and explains that although they're personal injury lawyers, they support people to put their lives back together after life-altering injuries. He surprises me by saying that some cases are so detailed that they can take four years or longer to come to a solution. When someone suffers life changing injuries their world and that of their family is turned upside down meaning that their financial security disappears and Paul shares a couple of examples where he has helped to change their future due to the results of their claim.We also talk about Paul's networking group Calibre 100 and how that runs as well as the next speaker coming up.You can find Paul at https://www.ftchronicpain.co.uk/ and find out more about his networking group at https://www.calibre100.com/

On today's podcast, I'm joined by David Robson of Mark Bates Ltd who are the UK's largest disability insurance broker. David shares that approximately 250,000 people trust Mark Bates Ltd with their insurance, whether it be from a home employment matter, when a customer needs employment liability or public liability, all the way through to home insurance where there are high levels and high value pieces of equipment to help the client live a more independent life.David has worked in insurance for 15 years and is CII qualified but moved into the disability insurance sector five years ago. Today we discuss many things including the fact that for a lot of people with varying disabilities, it is incredibly difficult for people to get the right insurance for them or the premiums are so ridiculously high, they become unaffordable. An important topic that David brings up is that from a home employment perspective, when a service user or a client employs their own care teams, by law, they must have employers' liability. An agency employee will be covered by their insurance but if you employ someone through direct payment they must have their own insurance. David then shares the different types of support that his company gives people including public liability insurance, redundancy support and more. He also points out that if the person doesn't have insurance they can receive a fine of up to £2,000 per day.We talk about being insured through your bank and something I found out that surprised me is that most banks stop covering you once you turn 70 years old. For a lot of people they still like to travel then and are unaware that they're not insured!To find out more about Mark Bates Ltd visit www.markbatesltd.com or email David on [email protected]

I’m delighted to welcome back for a third time, David Price, aka Budge.  It's been a while since we last spoke on the podcast, and unfortunately life still hasn’t settled down.Budge, Gina and Sam were moving into a bungalow owned by the council. They received the house keys on 18th December, but on the 19th, Gina had to return to hospital. After having a procedure in August, it had failed, and she had a little hole in her head which was leaking fluid, which left her very susceptible to infections. This meant they were stuck in hospital for around three weeks, missing Christmas.During this time, Budge’s parents and Sam and their son were amazing. While Budge was going backwards and forwards to the hospital to spend time with Gina, Sam started to gradually take things to the new house. Then the three of them were living with Budge’s parents, who had turned over the ground floor of their house to the family.After a couple of weeks, whilst caring for Gina, and helping Sam move things into the house, they needed to have contractors in doing certain things, because the house had previously been left empty for quite some time. This is when the problems started.Hearing Budge talk about the issues they found in the house, both before and after council workers had been in the house, is inconceivable when you realise that this is a house that the Council have offered someone with the complex health issues and conditions that Gina lives with. The list of things that needed doing to the house was endless. At one point rooms in the house were actually locked so that Budge and his family couldn’t enter them!This was a house that it had taken the council a year to find. For Budge and Gina, the system that was supposed to help was just broken!I’ll be talking to Budge again soon about the issues they’ve also had with continuing support for physio and occupational therapy.If you want to find out about care in any shape or form you can contact Janet:Website: https://shreevecareservices.co.uk/Email: [email protected]

My guest today is Guy Olson from The Equity Release Partnership who talks about why he set up his business and the importance of understanding what it means.Having worked in financial services and advising on equity release for about 20 years, with Aviva, and The Age Partnership, at a time when equity release was in its infancy, he eventually set up his own brokerage around two years ago.Equity release is a growing market place, where many people have heard of it but don’t really understand how it works and how it can work for them. Guy spends a lot of time explaining to people what it actually means and the benefits.Originally it was created to help people pay for care by giving them access to money that wouldn’t otherwise have been available. Then over the years, people have used equity release for other things, such as going on big holidays, paying for family weddings, or building extensions. We talk about how now, with the larger number of elderly people in the population, the pressure on social services and on the provision of care is huge. In the past, and in many cultures families helped to provide care for their elders, but in the UK nowadays this isn’t so prevalent, and people are having to pay for their own care. Guy believes that schools should teach children about finance from an early age so that they understand about mortgages, pensions, and saving for a house deposit so that they can become financially savvy. He explains that good financial advisers should be talking to people in their 40s and 50s about planning ahead for their retirement.Guy talks about something close to my heart – the fact that many people want to remain in their own homes. The idea of downsizing for many doesn’t work, because of the emotional attachment to their home. This is where releasing equity can help them to pay for the care in their own homes.Whether you are nearing retirement age or it seems eons away and not yet relevant to you – this conversation is well worth listening to.To contact Guy:Website: www.equityreleasepartnership.co.Email: [email protected]: 07583992335

My guest today is someone I met around six months ago – Benson Miyoba, whose business is TWO SEVEN SEVEN.Benson himself says he’s packed a lot into his 46 years, and the passion for what he is doing now is clear.After going through a difficult period in his own life and unable to accept help from people, he isolated himself. But, as you’ll hear, Benson likes to solve problems himself – because he is determined. This determination is what has driven him to be doing what he is doing now. He talks about the importance of self-awareness and the need to continue learning. Having worked for many other people, and driven by material status whilst working in the commercial sector, he understood that having done that he’d had to sacrifice some of his principles. So when he set up his first business, he decided to set up a nonprofit, CIC; an organisation called The Fitness Garden in High Wycombe.  Working with many different people in the community, the organisation took off and the space created was for local charities to use. As they built momentum, COVID hit.  However, initially, it wasn’t a complete disaster though Benson shares how when things had to close down completely it was a different story.After the organisation closed down, having built a good relationship with his business partners, with their backing, Benson and his team started to provide projects in and round the community.His passion is to help young people – particularly those who have been excluded from school and then fall into a void where they get preyed upon by organised gangs. Unlike many people, he doesn’t apportion blame on the schools or parents – it’s the criminals who are doing the damage. What Benson tries to do is find ways to support these young people and engage with them so that they receive support for mentoring sessions, with the income from corporate partners.He also talks about how it’s not all about big young people in big cities having problems, but also in many leafy, country counties. It’s a countrywide issue. His business TWO SEVEN SEVEN creates models that other people then take on and build on in their own businesses and he’s found ways to get the funding.Sharing how his business works, Benson’s passion for empowering young people is palpable – he is fighting in their corner. To contact Benson visit https://www.benson.coach/

My guest today is Joe Tompkinson of MyMarketr and he’s opening up about his three children and the incredible journey that each one has been on. Joe and his wife, Claire, have George, Eloise and Henry and are based in Swindon.When you see them on social media, you realised that it would be hard to find a happier family who enjoy spending as much time together as possible going on daytrips and holidays or just sitting at home watching a Disney movie!Both Joe and Claire carry a gene that means that there is a one in four chance of their children being born deaf and for them, this was their eldest son, George. When he was eighteen months old they made the decision for him to undergo the operation that allowed him to grow up with cochlear implants and an ability to hear although one thing we do talk about is some of the difficulties that George can have when listening in class and the steps that the school have taken to improve those problems.In 2014, when Eloise was born, they realised that she also had some hearing loss. Over the last few years, she has learnt sign language and how to lip read although these aren’t a way to sustain conversations long term. Last year at a check up Joe and Claire found that Eloise was suffering from significant hearing loss, and they had to decide whether or not to let Eloise have the cochlear implant surgery. As she was old enough to express her feelings on the subject they spoke to Eloise to find out what she wanted to do, and she chose to have the cochlear implants like her big brother. Over the course of this podcast, you’ll hear what happened into the lead up to her operation and then what happened afterwards including Eloise discovering new sounds she’d never heard before – like the dishwasher!Not to be outdone when Eloise was recovered and the family went to Center Parks in Northern England, their youngest son Henry hadn’t even been there for about an hour when he fell off of his bike and broke his leg meaning he had to stay in hospital for three days of their trip away!It’s very clear when you’re listening to Joe how much he and Claire love their children and are determined to get the support that they need at school and at home.This year they gave their children the trip of a lifetime by taking them to Disneyland in Orlando Florida!If you’d like to get in touch with Joe or myself email [email protected]

Today I’m so happy to share that my guest is a friend, a networking buddy and one of the most human coaches I’ve ever come across!John Lewis and I met at a PR Day run by fellow business friend Fiona Scott almost three years ago now and have stayed in contact ever since. We’re now chair and vice chair of Businesswise Swindon and our friendship is one of respect, admiration and playful digs!John runs JL Mindset Performance and coaches a vast range of people from corporate teams to solo business owners to sportsmen and women who need to work on their confidence and mindset ready for the tasks ahead.He started his business seven years ago and just as things were picking up Covid hit. Luckily John still had his courier business and as they were listed as keyworkers, he was able to continue working and bringing money in to support his family whilst still coaching the clients he had already picked up.It was during this time that John completed his training to be a mental health first aid trainer and really saw the value in being able to support people at such a difficult and, for many, lonely time.We talk about John’s work and how he works out if the client/coach relationship is going to work and we touch on one of his events that he has coming up – the Mistermind: a day for men to work on their personal deFELLApment! This is something that I feel is of great need as men really can struggle to take off their hats of husband, father, friend, worker, business owner etc and let their guard down to say “these are my goals” or “this is how I’m feeling right now.” John first ran this day two years ago this month and it was a brilliant success. This year he’ll be running it in November which is International Men’s Day and Men’s Mental Health Month!I thoroughly enjoyed this conversation, and I can’t wait for you to hear it. To contact John, you can find his details below.Website: www.jlmindsetperformance.co.uk Telephone: 07947 808675 Email: [email protected] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JLmindsetperformance/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/john_m1nd5et/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-lewis-691917173/ 

My guest today is Stella, of Keko Personnel Limited, who has had a huge amount of experience in the care sector in many different ways.Stella talks about how, while living in Korea and working in an office, she was introduced to the care industry by one of her friends. She started working part time in a care job and full time in the office. Stella had always had au pairs looking after her children, but she started having problems with them. In 2000 she decided to leave her office job and focus on care. Her reason being that the care work gave her time to look after her own children.Initially Stella worked with adults with learning difficulties, but when her dad had vascular dementia, and then passed away, she decided she wanted to gain qualifications in care and went on leadership and management in health and social care courses. Then she set up her own care business – particularly working to help people with dementia, having seen the struggles her mum and family had gone through.Stella shares the difficulties she had with officialdom when setting up her business, and how hard it is to find clients.One of the types of care we talk about is sitting care, something that Stella’s company offers.Sitting care is a very undervalued and unknown service. People need companionship so when a family carer wants to go out and have time to themselves, a sitting carer can come in and keep the family member company. There are so many opportunities where this type of care can be used – which Stella explains.Her company logo is ‘caring with a difference’. She wants people to receive the same care they would if you were looking after family members. Also, it’s all about dignity, and encouraging people to make their own decisions rather than telling them what to do.To contact Stella:Email: [email protected]: 01784698300

For today’s podcast, I don't have a guest, but wanted to share what I have been doing during the last few months, and talk about the exciting things to come in the future.One of the things I talk about is the fact that all of us are quite likely to have a health scare at some point in our lives. We tend to go along in life, assuming everything’s okay, until it isn’t. My own health issue was dealt with after some serious physio, but this is my introduction to the whole subject of care.I talk about some of the wonderful people and companies I've worked with so far this year; Gemma Lock of Trinity Home Care; a new start up called Nova Reach and a new client Stella, who I’ll be meeting soon.I also mention AgoraStaff, a new app which was launched back in May.The main focus of today’s podcast though is about why a big part of what I do and my passion is; giving advice. It might be advising a care provider, or advising an individual client, or a family – but always looking at the best way forward for that individual or company.The information available that people find when searching for care is incredibly limited. What I enjoy is finding the right care solution for individuals, because there are far too many challenges when trying to decipher the care sector. Most people have no idea what is actually available or may even never heard for example, of live-in care or continuing health or even understand what they mean.If you want to find out about care in any shape or form you can contact me:Website: https://shreevecareservices.co.uk/Email: [email protected]

My guest on today’s podcast is Maggie Gono who is the director and nominated person of Sky Vigil Care. Based in Gloucestershire, they are a CQC registered health and social care company who provide support to individuals with complex and noncomplex needs.This support can range from personal care to domiciliary care to supporting you within your own home. Maggie shares with me how she is a registered nurse who absolutely loves what she does and it shows. Maggie glows when she talks about her work. In her own words, you need to love what you do or what’s the point in doing it?As Maggie explains the company assesses individuals on a case-by-case basis. Sometimes the company doesn’t have anyone with the specific training needs to look after an individual being referred to them so they will have to tell the local council that they are unable to take on that person, but they are willing to work with everyone involved to be able to fulfil that role.There have been situations where Maggie and her team have had to say that they cannot take on a case but for all of the cases they have been able to accept there has never been a moment where they have had to phone the local authority and say that they can’t work with the person.One of the things that Maggie is proud of is their low turnover rate of their employees. Everyone who joins the company has the opportunity to progress and they stay working with them. To contact Maggie you can call 01452 341993 or visit https://skyvigilcare.co.uk/

My guest today is Catherine Twine-Kelly (or as I call her, Cath!), managing director of Supported Independence and I’m delighted to welcome her to my podcast.  Cath works in an area of care that remains a mystery to most people. Supported Independence works with adults, mainly those with enduring mental health issues. That covers a wide range of complex needs, so the support they need can vary significantly.She set up her business many years ago, recognising that there was no support between residential care and helping people to live in the community with support. She devised a three step approach which meant that service users would know the same group of staff all through their care transitions.Cath set up a place where people are supported but at the same time giving them independence to come and go a little like student living. They are given the opportunity to grow and develop their skills.They may start out with a split of half residential, half supported living before going on to having their own tenancy. Supported Independence work with a range of housing associations and private landlords and then their carers go in to work with them for just a few hours a day, depending on the complexity of their needs. It is very much based on individual needs.Cath talks about how after working in this area for so many years, she began to recognise that often, the medical profession don’t always see beyond the person’s mental health and therefore miss that they may have other physical things they are coping with, that are causing the health problem. To be able to challenge the system, she has completed a master’s as a Physicians Associate and is now taking her ideas even further and doing a PhD with Bristol University. She also talks about how for her, keeping the business local is important to be able to fully engage with residents and clients.Cath’s passion is evident, not only hearing her talk about the issues of the people she works with, but also by her personal commitment.To contact Cath:Website: www.supportedindependence.co.uk where there are also links to Cath’s email.

Today’s guest Nayna McIntosh, from Hope, Curated by Nayna, is someone I’ve known for about five or six years, and it’s lovely to have her on my podcast today talking about what she does. She shares how she has been in retail from a young age from when she used to help her mum on her market store in Birmingham. Her first job was for M&S, the motivation being that if she wanted to go to Jamaica when she was 18, she needed to earn half of her fare.Over a 35 year plus career, Nayna has worked in some of the biggest brands in the UK as you’ll hear. After moving around to several different companies, Nayna ended up back at M&S, and when she left she was a director on their management board.  After delivering a huge project for the company she realised that she wanted to take her career in a completely different direction.She began to understand that work was becoming a drag, and if she didn’t make a change to do something for herself; for her own health.Setting up her own business was in many ways, a terrifying experience, although she realised that what she didn’t know she could always find someone who could help. The most important thing she wanted in her business was to have strong feminine leadership values, built on her personal values too. She wanted to be in a place where women felt safe and run a business where women were able to talk about what they wanted to and not start meetings with the latest football scores!Much of the fashion industry is aimed at young women, and as a woman you begin to see how things change drastically  after menopause and how you can no longer wear the clothes you could when you were younger. This in turn can take away your confidence in yourself. Nayna set about changing this. Hope Curated by Nayna is all about clothes for more mature women, helping them feel comfortable, confident and good about themselves.  To contact Nayna:Email: [email protected]: https://naynamcintosh.substack.com/

My guest today is Richard Williams-Pears who is the CEO of a brand new recruitment app, AgoraStaff. This app has been designed for the care industry and I'm excited to say that I'm also involved.Richard and I only met about 18 months ago and AgoraStaff was born from a group of us questioning if we could provide a staffing solution to care companies without the agencies and their high fees and almost 2 years later, our app has arrived!There is a flat fee as a provider to join and then the fee on this app is only 5% compared to the sometimes 45% that care agencies charge on top of the hourly rate for the member of staff. Instead of someone having to be signed up to multiple agencies, they can just sign up to the app and be available to any care company or care home that has requested staff.Currently the app is available to the Bristol, Bath and Somerset area but soon we'll be removing the limitations and the app will be rolling out across the country. We've got an advertising campaign planned and we also have a refer a friend scheme for those who are using the app.Don't forget to continue listening for some fun bloopers!You can find out more by heading to www.agorastaff.com

Yet again, I’m welcoming back Rob Curtis of The Pursuit Agency.Last time Rob spoke to me, we talked about his ADHD and his problems with being given the correct medication for him. Since then he has tested several different types, which at the time, he thought were okay, but then looking back realised that actually, they weren’t. He wasn’t being himself, and even felt very unlike himself too!Now, luckily, he has found the right medication for him and is back to his normal self.The main reason I invited Rob back was to talk about his very close friends Budge and Gina. Those of you listening may know, I’ve already recorded several podcasts about their story -  It was thanks to Rob that I met them.Rob talks about how he first met Budge and how they became such amazing friends. Even before Gina had met Rob’s wife, Stef, the boys were best friends. They worried about how the girls would get on, but as you’ll hear, the girls hit it off straight away. The relationship between the four of them and their children is like that of family, as much as friends.He goes on to talk about how Budge and Gina are amazing friends, and have been for them in so many ways. So when Gina was so ill the first thing Rob did was to try to find out how he could help his friends. Incredibly, Rob and I had only met a few days before, so he turned to me.We talk about how, sadly these days people aren’t always there for friends, and how important it is to have friends in our lives who truly support and care for us.To contact Rob visit his website:  https://thepursuitagency.com/

My guest today is someone I’ve got to know well over the last few years, Stefan Thomas, professional speaker and author of Business Networking for Dummies.Thirty years ago, Stefan was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, and for most of his life this hasn’t caused a problem – until recently. Last year he began to feel very ill and after several months of visiting doctors and hospital appointments, he ended up as an emergency admission to hospital.He explains what ulcerative colitis, or inflammation of the bowel is and how it affects his life. Stefan also talks about how ‘talking about toilet stuff’ has always been a bit of a taboo, and generally men haven’t been encouraged to talk about such problems. Yet in the UK alone, 500,000 people have got Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn’s.Stefan is a writer and a speaker and he likes to talk about things, so he shared what was happening to him on his Facebook page. To his surprise he has had positive feedback from people, many happy to recognise that they’re not alone in their suffering. Also, he shares that at 54 he is an influencer on Facebook!He also talks about how being self-employed and having to regularly take time out of his business and cancel and postpone meetings and even speaking engagements due to being ill, he worried about the damage it would do to his reputation. With his incredibly positive attitude, he has created other ways to bring in income.Although Ulcerative Colitis isn’t a dietary condition but a genetic condition, Stefan also talks about how he has ended up having to make some changes to his diet. Stefan talks about a subject that can be embarrassing for many people with great humour and insight, demonstrating how with the right attitude we can cope with health changes.To contact Stefan:Website: https://www.stefanthomas.biz/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stefanthomasdotbiz

My guest today is Lily Pepperall, director of One Life; Live It; Fulfil It. Lily escaped from the war of Yugoslavia with a six-month visa at the age of 18 and came to the UK where she stayed. Some 30 years later after working in the corporate world, helping other people to find work, then working in adult education after being made redundant she decided to take a year out. Unfortunately that didn’t happen due to family illnesses and deaths.Eventually she decided to rebuild her life, using the skills that she’d built up over the years, including the resilience that she’d had to develop living in a country alone with no family.  Last year she set up her own company, One Life.Lily retrained as a life coach, because she has a lot to offer and share with people. She wants to help people who are just surviving in their lives, but not necessarily fulfilled. So, she helps people to get work-life balance; helps them to deal with traumas, or helps them to live their best, satisfying life. She wants people to understand that we have all got a choice and we can either be a victim or get on with life and embrace skills that will empower us to move forward.She also talks about how since childhood she has loved being in nature, and having moved to live on a farm she is enjoying gardening and how much beautiful nature is on her doorstep. Lily shares how important nature is, in terms of our well-being, and how she incorporates walking and talking into her coaching offers.Having moved to a new country herself, Lily talks about how difficult and scary it is. She works with the Harbour Project in Swindon to support asylum seekers, particularly women recently arriving in the UK.As you’ll hear, Lily is also going to be working with me in the future on one of my new projects.LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lily-pepperall-982816aa/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/one_life_live_it_fulfil_it/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556713980897Website: https://www.liveitfulfilit.co.uk/

My guest today is Joey Williams-Pears who first joined me on my podcast about a year ago, and it’s great to have her back.Her business Outstanding Compliance is basically to help people with anything to do with Care, Quality Commission - CQC registration. As well as helping companies with their registration they also help with ongoing compliance; reviews, ensuring that everything is in place in terms of paperwork etc.Recently they have had a number of aesthetics clinics contact them, because believe it or not, it is largely an unregulated sector. There is a great deal of confusion around whether they should be CQC registered or not, and when it boils down to it, some need to be and others don’t need to be registered. Joey talks about how woolly the CQC guidelines are for aesthetics their information says that anything not solely cosmetic needs a registration. But they don’t give a definition of what cosmetic surgery is! However, hearing Joey talk about dangerous this makes things for consumers when looking to have certain aesthetic work done.  Many people offer Botox and other procedures without any knowledge or understanding of the impact on facial structure. She is doing a lot of research into this, as there are talks to get regulation for these procedures, but it’s a long way ahead.For Outstanding Compliance, it’s all about ensuring that companies are safe and able to prove that they are working in a safe environment.Joey and I share a spoiler about a new project we are both working on… To contact Joey:Website: https://www.outstandingcompliance.co.ukInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/outstanding_compliance/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jolene-williams-pears-ba555744/Email: [email protected]

I’m very happy to introduce today’s guest, Jeff Tucker, co-founder of Best Mates.Best Mates achieved charity status in November 2023 and has now been going for two years. They help people who are having a tough time in their lives and match them up with the best people to talk to, to get their lives back on track.Jeff explains how a terrible personal time in 2020 actually led him and his co-founder, Carl to set up the charity. Jeff’s son was attacked, and although surviving physically, the aftermath of the attack led him to suffering from PTSD and depression. He and his wife wanted to support their son, but didn’t know how to and it was an incredibly tough time for them to navigate.After reaching out to the GP and the NHS and getting very little help, (then even when he did, it wasn’t enough or appropriate) they recognised that when people need help, they need it from the right person for them. This is where the Best Mates concept comes in. Often people have problems but don’t know where to go to get support. Over time, the charity has found a range of people who can support others when needed.  Somebody who understands, has been through problems themselves and most importantly, can have real conversations with them. Best Mates has a range of service providers; some counsellors and others who offer different services, but people that they trust.Best Mates has also set up Walk and Talk sessions for everybody, but mostly men which takes place each week in Swindon. They also have sessions in Folkestone and Chelmsford, Essex. They also have plans to expand into other areas too.To contact Jeff:Website: www.bestmates.orgFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/BestMatesCharityLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/best-mates-wegotya/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bestmates_wegotya/

On today's episode of You Care, I care I'm joined by Mary Merheim of Grandbar Snacks. Mary has been on my list of podcast guests to record with for quite some time now so I'm very excited to release this episode!Mary started Grandbar Snacks accidentally and as she explains she now has a nutritional cake bar for the elderly business despite not having any previous food industry expertise or business knowledge! She was a teacher previously but her mission was personal. In his late eighties, her father lost his appetite even though he was a man who was passionate about food to the point that he'd even make his own pate! It was heartbreaking for Mary to see her father fading away in front of her so instead of just sitting back and letting it happen, she headed for the kitchen!After a search online about nutritional food elderly people enjoy eating, Mary soon realised that there was nothing out there. Plenty of information popped up for pregnant women, menopausal women or anyone who wanted to lose weight but for those over sixty five, it felt like they weren't a priority for society anymore. Research has shown that as you get older your savoury taste buds start to fade but the sweet taste buds last! It's now been five years and Mary has a fully fledged business selling cakes full of all the nutritional things people need and designed specifically for the elderly who are struggling with their appetite.Mary was only going to be making these treats for her father but when he passed away suddenly at ninety years old, she knew she had to carry on and ensure that they reached more elderly people across the country who are needing nutritional foods that satisfy their sweet tooth - after all, you can't make someone eat something if it doesn't look good first as well as tasting great!If you'd like to learn more about Mary and these tasty treats head to https://grandbarsnacks.com/

My guest today is someone who I’ve only recently met, Heather Angell from Heather Angell Coaching.Heather talks about her background and how she got into coaching via her wedding planning business.  Even before COVID her entire business was online, so during that time she was able to continue her work with no problem.Through her coaching business she helps people using different therapy modalities, including CBT talk therapy and many other energy therapies. And during and following lockdown, there were many people who needed help after experiencing trauma during that time.She shares how important it is to not get locked into going for coaching and therapy for ever but making sure that you take time out to integrate changes into your life. People work with Heather for different time frames – for whatever works best for them – it’s always about the individual.Heather also works with businesspeople, as a High Performance Coach, often enabling people to get out of their own way!  There was a time when people would tell others’ how easy it is to set up a business – but if you don’t take action and have tenacity, commitment it’s hard. Just having a passion for whatever you do won’t help you make money.  Basically, Heather’s business is all about helping people to care about themselves and that includes herself.If you’d like to contact Heather:Website:  https://www.swindontherapy.co.uk/https://www.heatherangell.co.uk/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeatherAngellCoachLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heatherangellcoaching/

Today’s guest is a long standing friend and past colleague, Claire Westlake from Your Care, which she runs along with her mum, Tina. This year they celebrate 11 years in business.Neither of them started out in care; Tina worked in the beauty industry and Claire was an accountant – both very different professions to Care. Claire explains how they ended up working in care and starting their own business, after being shocked by the uncaring manner people were being treated in by the agency she was working for.Your Care’s way of working is different to many others – they’re not a typical care agency. Your Care has a register of self-employed carers and they match those carers to their clients; mostly clients with dementia and elderly clients. They consult over the phone with families so that they completely understand the clients needs; and not just medical, but also things about them personally – what they like and dislike so that they can make a perfect match with the carer.Tina and Claire are also very choosy about the carers who they employ – their ethos being: would they leave one of their own family members with that person?Over the last couple of months Your Care have had problems with South Glos Council, with whom they’ve been working for almost 11 years. They love the service that Your Care delivers, loving what they do and how they do it, but they don’t love the price.  Like every other business, Your Care have had to increase the budget to be able to cover wages etc, and that would have meant only an increase of £1.50. But the Council thinks that’s too much!We discuss what this means and how this impacts on clients; how upsetting it is for them and their families and how we are hoping to change this.Tina and Claire have published a book ‘After the Diagnosis, your Guide to Living with Dementia’, an eBook, which is available on their website and on Amazon.To contact Claire:Website: www.your-careuk.co.ukEmail: [email protected]: 01179 477422

I’ve known today’s guest, Tara Gunn, for many years and in the past we’ve worked together.Tara went into the care profession after being made redundant from a job in IT recruitment. It was only supposed to be a short term position however she has been there ever since, which is around 18 years.She works in live-in care which is something that most people still don’t fully understand what it is. The majority of people think that when they are older, or their parents or grandparents start getting to the point where they need help, they’re ready for a care home. Tara explains why live-in care is such a great alternative – getting support in their home means their lives don’t have to change dramatically.The main difference between care homes and live-in care is that people have choices about everything. Tara explains why there needs to be structure in care homes compared to the freedom people have within their own homes.Recently Tara has had the opportunity to work with an established healthcare provider called Eleanor Healthcare. They do everything care related. However, until now they haven’t specialised in live-in care, which is where Tara and her expertise comes in.She explains how they take on carers and how their way of recruiting is very different to many care providers.Tara also explains the difference between a managed service and an introductory service. The basic difference being that with a managed service, the care company arranges everything, down to what the carer does and checks are kept that everything is working well. This works well when family members of the client don’t want to be or can’t be heavily involved in the care.Introductory care is when the care company helps out with the matching process to introduce the carer to the client, but then the client and or their family members work with the carer to decide how the care is going to work.In both scenarios, the carers are all trained in the same way.Eleanor Healthcare are based in Kent but are focusing on the southeast and southwest at the moment. However, with the introduced model, they can work nationally.To contact Eleanor Healthcare: 01732 441877 or email: [email protected]: https://www.eleanorhealthcaregroup.co.uk/live-in-care/live-well/

On this episode I’m joined by my friend and previous guest, Vanessa White, who is a breakup and divorce coach. The last time that Vanessa was here with me, we were talking all about her business and how she can help people in their relationships or before, during and after a breakup.This episode will be slightly different as we’re excited to announce a collaboration that will take us and you to Italy!Enlightening Escapes will be offering you some amazing retreats in Puglia, Italy and is our passion project born from a love of caring for people and wanting to see them recharge, grow and focus on their wellbeing which could be something that they don’t get to do often.From my trips to Italy last year I soon realised that Puglia was the place to hold these events as the people, the venue and the location just fit the definition of enlightening and once you see the pictures on our almost ready website you’ll definitely want to escape there!Our first retreat is being held on May 8th, 2025 and if you want to find out more you can email Vanessa on [email protected] or myself on [email protected] We’re committed to supporting those who need to relax and recharge whilst learning about self care and prioritising their wellbeing so if that sounds like you then these are the retreats you want to be on!Listen on to find out why we chose the name Enlightening Escapes and further information on what will be happening at the retreats this year!You can find out more about Vanessa and how she can support you in your relationship at www.vanessawhite.co.uk

In part three of this little series David Price aka Budge is back to talk to me more about the nightmare that he and his wife Gina have been going through.If you haven't listened to parts 1 and 2 yet I highly recommend that you listen to them first so that you're fully up to date on the terrible situation that this wonderful couple have been dealing with.Today Budge is sharing more about the OCE (listen to part to if you want to know more about the nightmare they experienced when there!) and what happened when Gina was moved to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford. We talk about the plate that Gina had put in place and the eight hour operation that she went through. Budge shares the relief and surprise that he felt when he walked into the room following this long operation to find Gina sat there alert and able to have a conversation with him!Even though they had a great experience that time, there were two previous occasions that always stand out to Budge. He recalls these two standout occasions that made him question the care that Gina was getting.On one occasion, he went into Gina's room to find her in complete darkness - no blinds open or lights switch on! - and then he discovered a rod on the floor which he thought was for her chair. He went to see a nurse who had come on shift, worried that someone might help Gina into a chair that could break. As he found out the rod was a guide to put the nasal feeder in and as Gina had pulled the feeder out one night, it needed to be put in again. As you imagine Budge was very surprised that this had happened a few nights before because no one had put the mitten on that stopped Gina from being able to pull out any of her tubes or wires.Listen on to find out what the second standout occasion was that made them question the level of care provided by the hospital and about the lack of support they've received since Gina was discharged!

Today’s guest is Vicki, a single mum of three children, who has been caring for them alone since they were all very young.  Her eldest child, Emily was born by emergency Caesarean and following that, was very poorly.Vicki’s story is one of a mother who has spent her time caring for not only Emily, but also her siblings, and how as a family they have pulled together and supported each other.Having been born with medical issues, Emily spent her childhood under the care of paediatricians and during that time she developed many different conditions.  It wasn’t until she was 14 that she was diagnosed with Turner syndrome, that Vicki explains is about a missing chromosome which in turn affects a whole range of things.Vicki talks about the grief Emily suffered after finding out that because of her condition she would need to have her ovaries removed, which as a young growing woman is a tragic thing to be told.Emily’s health problems continued to grow, and Vicki shares how she, Emily and her other children had to deal with them.  This all happened before we all had access to the internet, so finding information and being able to research things was far harder.  Life felt like a continual battle.Another issue Vicki talks about is how, as a single mother she felt vulnerable about contacting social services for help, because at that time there was a lot of stigma and fear around involving them.Now as an adult, Emily does have some support, which although it has taken a long time to find now means like everyone else she is able to live her life with purpose.You can find out more about Vicki at https://www.vickihead.com/

I’m very pleased to welcome back David Price, aka Budge for a follow up on our previous podcast all about the journey he and his wife Gina have had over the last 18 months.When we talked last time, Gina had been transferred to the OCE, Oxford for her rehabilitation; known to be one of the best places in the UK.After initially being thrilled to get the place in the unit, and having met the staff, both Budge and Gina were comfortable about her potentially spending the next 6 months there.  Gina began to make very good progress, and quite quickly. She had a lot of different therapy, physio and speech sessions, all helping to get her to a better place.Sadly, things started to go wrong very quickly. The main problem being that the nursing team didn’t seem to work with the rehab team. They were existing as two separate teams, whereas in fact, they should have been working as one to enable Gina’s rehab.The rehab team were doing nothing wrong, but some of the nursing assistants were not doing their jobs to the best of their ability, which meant that on occasions, Gina wasn’t washed or dressed, so not ready on time for her rehab sessions. Then there were times her meals were late or even missed.Worse still there were occasions when Budge found medication on the floor.  As you can imagine, he wasn’t happy and questioned the nurse.As you’ll be shocked to hear, Budge had to spend a lot of his time fighting to make sure that Gina received the expected care yet often ended up doing it himself – something which should never happen!

My guest today is someone I’ve worked with for many years and has become a good friend.Marita Prosko has had an interesting career in care. She started out as a carer and has moved onwards and upwards, as you’ll hear.Marita moved to the UK in 2008 and initially did odd jobs before getting a job working in domiciliary care in Bristol assisting with recruitment of carers. But she soon learned that working in the field of care if you can’t find anyone to cover a shift, you end up going to do the work yourself, so she learned very quickly on the job.Being the person she is, Marita has gained more and more knowledge and experience over the years working in recruitment, supplying support and care workers for a range of different clients and situations.When working for a larger organisation, she had to coordinate the care, - one of the hardest jobs there are. For a start you need to be incredibly well organised and Marita was and still is excellent at this, even though she didn’t enjoy it as much as other parts of her role.Always aiming to grow her own skills and challenge herself, Marita went on to become a registered manager, receiving her diploma in October 2022.Marita’s own credibility working within care is very important to her, and I know from working with her, how good she is at being able to recruit the right people for the right position.You can find out more about Janet and Shreeve Care Services at www.shreevecareservices.co.ul 

Today I have the pleasure of welcoming Hannah Edwards, who is the director of Empowered VA Services.Before setting up her VA business, Hannah worked in care from 2012 until COVID.  She started as a support worker, was promoted to team leader and then a senior team leader over time.  When she made the decision, she wanted to grow her VA business, she moved to a care company which meant she could work shifts as and when needed.Sadly, not only did COVID hit, but also growing health issues of her own forced her to give up the care work, which she enjoyed.Hannah talks about being diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and how it affects her life, every single day.  Also, she explains just how much medication she has to take, plus the side effects – when she remembers.Talking about her VA business, Hannah shares a wonderful Barbie analogy, which leads on to her gaining her Business Degree earlier this year.We also have a conversation about ADHD and the fact that many of us may have aspects of this. Hannah’s doctor thinks she may also have aspects of it – as she is always on the go, although she does not have the hyperactivity, which other people who we both know, do exhibit.Hannah also talks about growing up and being underestimated for her abilities – which again, many of us are, purely because of where we come from – but the positive being, we can all achieve.Find out more about Hannah Edwards at https://empoweredvaservices.co.uk/

My guest today is making a very welcome, second visit.  Last time, Yusuf talked about how he started his business and today he talks about the challenges he continually faces in his care business - which is supported living.One of the biggest challenges Yusuf faces in his business is the procurement of contracts from local authorities. He talks about how frustrating it is when he invests in accommodation, training his staff and preparing a property for new clients, but then the local authorities take far too long to respond, and often go for the cheapest option of provider.  He has two properties that have been available for a long while, and they’ve been offered to different local authorities, but they say the accommodation is overpriced.There are a lot of care providers out there, often with inexperienced and non-specialist staff, but the authorities don’t seem to care; they just want the cheapest.Also, as a business, Bosun Care have to look after their properties, pay bills and their staff – but if they are not getting people to care for, it is becoming unsustainable from their point of view.Yusuf talks about exactly what the specialised service that supported living care is, and why he doesn’t think people, including many local authorities understand what is actually involved. Another huge problem with local authorities is the lack of joined-up-thinking. They take forever to get things organised, even when a situation is considered urgent; you rarely talk to the same person when you contact them, and often there is no one available to talk to at all. Yusuf gives an example of how the incredibly slow workings of local authorities can impact on clients. We both agree that local authorities need to look into the continuity of care, because as it is, it certainly isn’t working.Find out more about Yusuf and the work Bosun Care does at https://www.bosuncare.co.uk/ 

Today’s guest is Fiona Scott, a friend and brilliant colleague who has her own successful PR and media company, working with many, many clients in all different professions. She successfully helps them to be visible, through their PR and media.The main thing we’re talking about is how there is often a misconception that care doesn’t need PR – which Fiona, as you’ll hear, strongly disagrees with.  She sees care as a Cinderella service in the public’s mind; for example, it wasn’t even mentioned in our new government’s manifesto. Part of this discussion is the importance to recognise carers as professionals.We have a conversation about why people possibly don’t want to talk about care: fear. Fear for all of us, because it is something we can need at any time in our lives, not just when we’re old – but we don’t like to talk about it. There is also possibly the fear that the media won’t talk about it kindly.One of Shreeve Care’s most important goals is for people to understand that we all have choices about our care, and yet often don’t realise that. Fiona shares how, many years ago, whilst bringing up small children, she had to look after her husband who had a brain tumour, and how she hated being a carer, felt guilty about that, and received no support whatsoever, which in turn made her ill. People end up having to care for loved ones because they don’t always know where to look for help.Fiona talks about how journalists can help people to share their experiences either anonymously or personally, but either way, the telling of those stories can open up discussion and bring things into the public arena. We talk about how we are both working with a couple presently to get their story heard both locally and nationally, with the aim to help others in the same situation.Fiona expresses her ideology; that as an experienced journalist, she always has a duty of care for people she works with to understand what working with her means – especially in terms of sharing stories in public. This is where PR can shine a light on the situation of one client – but when others read or hear about their story. they realise that they’re not alone in being affected by the same issues.You can find out more about Fiona at www.scottmedia.uk For more information about Shreeve Care Services visit www.shreevecareservices.co.uk

My guest today is Budge who shares the incredible story of two years of unforeseen and lifechanging events. You will be shocked, surprised and moved by the rollercoaster of events that Budge, Gina and their son Sam have had to experience.After living with a diagnosis of fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue since 2016, when Gina started to suffer with other symptoms that were affecting her, they decided to visit their GP leading up to Christmas 2022. When her symptoms worsened and further ones appeared, they visited the GP again.Finally, a CT scan was suggested, and everything took a turn for the worse when Gina was told she had a brain tumour. Budge talks about how once the scan had been taken everything went into overdrive, and before they knew it, Gina was on her way to John Radcliffe in Oxford.He shares how he and his son were left in the dark when Gina was operated on and how they didn’t hear anything when expected, and it wasn’t until 10 hours later they eventually heard from the hospital, rather than the five hours they had originally been told. When Budge and Sam finally saw Gina the change in her condition was overwhelmingly shocking to them both. Due to the positioning and size of her tumour, she had lost her speech, and all movement down one side. And her condition deteriorated even more.They had months and months of uncertainty as Gina’s recovery was by no means plain sailing. When she was finally discharged from John Radcliffe, Budge had hoped she would be able to go to a neuro rehabilitation unit in Oxford. However, despite being told that Gina was the perfect candidate for this, she was returned to GWH in Swindon, where they only have a stroke rehabilitation centre.Gina did eventually get to the rehabilitation unit in Oxford, and should have had further surgery, but this still hasn’t happened, even now.  I’ll be talking to Budge again, to hear what has happened moving forward and the challenges that they are facing.Budge’s story is an emotional listen, but one full of love, care and support and it needs to be heard.You can find out more about the support offered by Shreeve Care Services at www.shreevecareservices.co.uk

Today, I am my own guest and I’m sharing what I’ve been up to in the last few months which have been very different and very exciting.I’ve spent my time travelling backwards and forwards to Italy and, although my travels weren’t for a holiday, I also had a wonderful time, catching up with old friends and making new friends too. However, the main reason was to set up an amazing new experience, all linked to my business in the UK - retreats, and opportunities for carers and clients, linked with health and well-being, and having fun. I share some of the things that I’m planning, and also the people I’ll be working with.And as you’ll hear, I also got to do one of the things on my bucket list!Shreeve Care Services has just celebrated two years in business and I talk about the exciting time ahead as the company starts its third year. I share how the company is focusing on the advisory service they offer, and how people should be more aware of options that are available to them when it comes to needing care.I touch on the challenges that the care sector faces, reminding us to respect the carers who are often forgotten.I also talk about some new providers that Shreeve Care Services is starting to work with, before sharing how grateful I am for the support both myself and the company have received over the last two years.You can visit the Shreeve Care Services website at https://shreevecareservices.co.uk/You can also connect with me at https://www.linkedin.com/in/janetshreeve/ 

Today I'm absolutely delighted to welcome Ewelina Wiesner of Silverstars Care based in Sherborne, in Dorset. I work with Ewelina on the live in side of her care service and having worked with her for probably about five or six months now, I can tell you that she is hugely knowledgeable about the care sector. Ewelina’s journey starting almost 20 years ago when she decided that she wanted to change careers. At the time she was a bookkeeper and when she came to England she was offered a job in a care home and that sparked her passion for working with people and building relationships with those that she supported and their families.She quickly climbed the career ladder becoming a team leader and whilst we talk Ewelina talks about how different her previous career and current career are and that to start with she found her new role a bit overwhelming with everything that she had to learn. She soon learnt to love the role especially meeting all of the people she got to look after and hearing the interesting stories that they have to tell. And some of those have some amazing life stories to share!Ewelina set up her own company, Silverstars Care, in 2017 nearly ten years after having her twins in 2014. Not wanting to split her time between shifts at the care home and being at home with her children, Ewelina decided to go on her own journey and set up her company.We discuss why it’s important to be a care company that works for the people they look after, listening to their stories and ensuring that at all times their dignity is maintained and their wishes are respected. To contact Silverstars Care head to https://www.silverstarscare.com/

In today's episode, Janet speaks to Cathy Hargreaves from Transformation with Cathy about her journey to wards starting her business and her history working in HR.  Cathy specialises in working with children and teens who are struggling with anxiety and low confidence for whatever reason. She enables them to identify and remove unhelpful, limiting beliefs so that they can enjoy their life as the happy children and teenagers they inherently deserve to be.By supporting them at this age, they can enjoy their childhood and go on to become happy, content, confident adults with high levels of self-worth, self-esteem and self-belief. She delivers Rapid Transformational Therapy (RTT) and using hypnotherapy - which is clinically proven to be safe and effective - she uncovers the root cause of your child's issues. She then works with your child to build up their self-esteem, empowering them and giving them unshakable belief in themselves so that they can live their early years with joy and excitement. She also works with adults to overcome their anxiety and increase confidence and self-belief.You can contact Janet here -  https://cathy-hargreaves.com/contact-mewww.cathy-hargreaves.com* Behind every behaviour is a belief.... when you change the belief, you change the behaviour. * Change the inside and watch the outside transform!

Today this episode comes to you from the beautiful country of Italy! I’m delighted to share that my guest is Martine Greslon-Collins and she is sharing all about caring for her mum in Italy and how that came about.Martine came out to Italy looking for a holiday home and was toying between the idea of a Greek island or somewhere in southern Italy. She wanted someone that has an interesting culture. Martine shares that the home she was shown by the estate agent had a beautiful balcony and fireplace and rather unusually, a plug socket in the shower that needed to be covered in plastic!After falling in love with the property Martine sold all of her possessions, her house and her business in the UK and moved across. After her father passed away, Martine then brought her mum out to live with her – part time at first due to the heat in the summer so her mum would head back to the UK before travelling back again when the weather in Italy was cooler.Martine then shares how after a phone call with a supermarket close to her mum’s house, she made the decision to make the move for her full time to Italy.She noticed over time that her mothers’ dementia got worse.  Martine discusses how her mother love the taste of sweet things.You can listen to the episode and more at  https://shreevecareservices.co.uk/podcasts/

On today’s episode of ‘You Care, I Care’, Janet is joined by Josh Doherty from yourwaybristol. This is a brilliant episode as Josh shares how his family, from his grandfather to his mother and, now, to himself, have all worked within the care industry.He tells me the story of a client who escaped from a long stay hospital and hitchhiked all the way to Scotland!Throughout our talk, Josh shares how he started yourwaybristol and how he hasn't set out to take over the social care world but that he has instead grown his business organically over the years.Josh shares with me how he doesn't measure his success by what the balance of his bank currently is but by the experiences he has had throughout his brilliant career.

Today's guest on You Care, I Care is Rob Curtis, Founder of The Pursuit Agency who joins me to discuss his journey with ADHD. We talk about how he was as a child, into his teenage years, how he found out that ADHD was a possibility for him and how he uses it as his 'superpower' in his business!Rob shares that it's thanks to a friend of his that he even looked into ADHD as a reason for him being the way he was - constantly active, constantly on the ball and unable to switch his mind off! This conversation with his friend made him realise that he hyperfocuses on things which is a symptom of ADHD and then he fell down the rabbit hole of essentially self diagnosing himself before he was able to go down the official route.He also shares how as a student he was never the naughty child at school but he didn't have the focus that a lot of his classmates had. He couldn't sit still and his parents enrolled him into every club they could to use up his energy including swimming, football, karate and more!One of the things we talk about is the process to getting a diagnosis. Rob started the process through the NHS but dye to Covid-19 the wait list meant that it would be a couple of years before he could get a diagnosis.Rob then decided to start and focus on The Pursuit Agency that he decided to choose to take the private route to diagnosis so that he could improve life for his family. He shares how the platform he chose to use has recently had some bad press but when he started his process with them he found that they were very professional and explained how he got a call with someone that was only supposed to be for one hour and he was talking with the professional for two and a half hours.Rob talks about how getting the diagnosis has made him feel, how he's felt since then and his journey with getting his medication just right!

On today's episode of You Care, I Care I'm delighted to be talking to David Smallacombe who is the CEO of Care and Support West.David has had a variety of experiences and careers, starting of as a farmers son in Devon. In 1968 he became a police officer in London's Metropolitan Police and this is where he first met vulnerable people and because of this will tell you that he entered the care industry because he was in the police force.David had experiences over the over the UK including Wandsworth and Lewisham. Fast forward and David uses his previous career experience in his position as CEO of Care and Support West.Listen on to find out more about David and his wonderful career!

My guest today is James Hilton of James Hilton Fitness and Jim’s Gym. We met a year ago and since then I have worked with James and his family to find the best support for his grandmother. Today James shares with me about his business and his background into the industry and how that helped him to set up Jim’s Gym. James is based in Stroud and decided to become a personal trainer about four and a half years ago after he burnt out when working in London. The realisation for James came quickly afterwards that he didn’t enjoy working in the Big City and didn’t have a passion for what he does so made some changes.Those changes involved leaving London and travelling around Asia and New Zealand for six months with his wife and son before coming back to England and becoming a personal trainer. James shared the different qualifications that you need to become a personal trainer and since then has heavily invested in his education and personal development to ensure that he is always up to date with any courses and qualifications that he may need.James explains the two sides to his business. James Hilton Fitness which is one to one training in his own gym or online and the second side is Jim’s Gym – an online subscription that allows the over 55’s to stay healthy and mobile.You can find out more about James and Jim’s Gym by heading to www.jameshilton.fitness