SafeSpace.

The discount code SAFESPACE20 gives 20% off all 12-month access on Pastest’s post-graduate exam platforms https://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=46017&awinaffid=2708016&ued=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pastest.com%2F If you like the episode, please follow on Instagram @safespace.hcp and TikTok @safespacer0 for more content and share. Extended guided meditations are coming soon on my Substack and website www.saferspace.info In this episode, Mariam sits down with Radha-rani Patel, an advanced clinical pharmacist, yoga teacher, and Ayurvedic consultant. Radha shares her fascinating journey of integrating seemingly disparate fields, pharmacy, fitness, and ancient wisdom, into a unified approach to health and well-being. They explore the importance of holistic care, especially for geriatric patients, the power of community and connection, and practical Ayurvedic principles that can transform your daily routine. Radha's mission is to empower individuals to take control of their health through sustainable and grounded practices, moving beyond a purely medicinal approach to a more integrative model of care. KEY TAKEAWAYS True health involves looking at the whole person, nutrition, sleep, lifestyle, and social interactions, not just treating symptoms with medication. Social prescribing and community engagement can be as effective as medical interventions in improving patient outcomes and mental wellbeing. Shifting the narrative from ‘managed decline’ to empowerment allows patients, especially the elderly, to regain control and vitality. Simple practices like mindful eating and living in tune with the seasons can have a profound impact on health and digestion. Rest is not a luxury but a necessity for physical and mental consolidation and growth. BEST MOMENTS "I want to find ways of allowing people not to feel intimidated by the science when they are very into the spiritual and the ethereal, and then allowing the scientist to also have an opportunity to look at ways they can bring some of the more spiritual practices with a strong evidence base into their life." "The solution is not going to be a single pill. The solution is also going to be multi-factorial. And what you're describing is health as empowerment rather than health as a dependency on a pill." "We can often listen to symptoms and hear what's wrong and try and almost deal with the voice that's crying out from our body by trying to quieten it. And what I really wanted to understand was why was that voice crying out in the first place." "A strong digestion is the core to good health." "Rest is not the time between the worthwhile moments; it's probably some of the most worthwhile moments." HOST BIO Mariam is a GP trainee in Wales passionate about improving our healthcare colleagues' wellbeing. She has experience on the Schwartz Round Steering group and as a facilitator for her health board, and she created and led the Balint Group Programme for Foundation Doctors in her hospital. These are regular spaces for healthcare professionals to speak about real issues that affect their well-being amongst colleagues to improve mutual support and camaraderie in the workplace. She also holds qualifications in Life Coaching and healthcare leadership and management. Whatever your reason for joining us on this podcast, we are glad you have taken the time.  If you are having stressful days at work, leaving you feeling demotivated, and depleted, I'm hoping I can help here. This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/

The discount code SAFESPACE20 gives 20% off all 12-month access on Pastest’s post-graduate exam platforms https://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=46017&awinaffid=2708016&ued=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pastest.com%2F If you like the episode, please follow on Instagram @safespace.hcp and TikTok @safespacer0 for more content and share. Extended guided meditations are coming soon on my Substack and website www.saferspace.info In this insightful episode, Mariam is joined by the multifaceted Dr. Johann Malawana, a doctor, advocate, and entrepreneur. Dr. Malawana shares his remarkable journey from his early days as an obstetrician to becoming a leading voice for junior doctors at the BMA, where he secured significant improvements in their working conditions.  KEY TAKEAWAYS Dr. Malawana's work with the BMA highlights the importance of organized advocacy in improving workplace conditions for healthcare professionals. Quality medical education and leadership training are essential building blocks for a sustainable and happy healthcare workforce. Implementing change in healthcare involves managing a "myriad of complexity," from political interests to intricate public sector contracts. Effective healthcare leadership requires the ability to remain focused on goals despite personal attacks and the inevitability of not being able to please everyone. Dr. Malawana's career shift was driven by a passion to solve large-scale problems rather than a desire to leave clinical practice. BEST MOMENTS "Education and training are therefore the kind of building block... it gives you the ability to find the right people, put them in the right roles, make sure they're happy." "The BMA is... one of the most political organizations going." "The problem isn't often the solutions. The problem is the implementation... how to make the system own the solution." "If you want universal love... these are not the jobs for you." "I don't necessarily regret anything... you make the decisions you thought were important with the information you had available to you at the time." HOST BIO Mariam is a GP trainee in Wales passionate about improving our healthcare colleagues' wellbeing. She has experience on the Schwartz Round Steering group and as a facilitator for her health board, and she created and led the Balint Group Programme for Foundation Doctors in her hospital. These are regular spaces for healthcare professionals to speak about real issues that affect their well-being amongst colleagues to improve mutual support and camaraderie in the workplace. She also holds qualifications in Life Coaching and healthcare leadership and management. Whatever your reason for joining us on this podcast, we are glad you have taken the time.  If you are having stressful days at work, leaving you feeling demotivated, and depleted, I'm hoping I can help here. This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/

Dr Manjit Obhrai, a former consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist turned NHS executive known for restoring struggling trusts, talks about visible, values-driven leadership. She covers building trust through presence, open board meetings, valuing every staff role, adaptive leadership, and choosing transparency even when it risks reputation.

The discount code SAFESPACE20 gives 20% off all 12-month access on Pastest’s post-graduate exam platforms https://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=46017&awinaffid=2708016&ued=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pastest.com%2F If you like the episode, please follow on Instagram @safespace.hcp and TikTok @safespacer0 for more content and share. Extended guided meditations are coming soon on my Substack and website www.saferspace.info In this episode, Dr. Mariam Pereira sits down with Dr. Maia Hayes, a postnatal health coach and GMC-registered doctor, to pull back the curtain on the often-neglected world of postnatal care. Dr. Maia shares her deeply personal experience navigating a traumatic birth and undiagnosed postnatal depression, illustrating the ‘invisible gaps’ that even medical professionals fall through. The conversation explores the limitations of the standard six-week check, the toxic ‘bounce back’ culture, and the systemic shifts needed, from better GP screening tools like the ‘Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale’ to workplace flexibility, to truly support new mothers. KEY TAKEAWAYS Even doctors can struggle to be heard by the healthcare system; Dr. Maia’s symptoms were repeatedly dismissed as ‘normal’ despite her clinical background. Current postnatal checks often focus almost exclusively on the baby’s health or contraception, frequently neglecting the mother’s mental health and physical recovery (e.g., pelvic floor issues). Up to 50% of postnatal depression cases are missed by GPs due to time constraints, stigma, and the inconsistent use of validated tools like the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. Society places immense pressure on mothers to return to their pre-pregnancy bodies and productivity levels, ignoring the fact that physical and hormonal recovery is a non-linear process that requires significant time and support. Roughly 19% of women leave the workforce within three years of having a child, often due to a lack of flexibility and support, highlighting the need for employers to view postnatal care as a professional necessity. BEST MOMENTS "It is about the system telling you you're failing, when in fact, it's failing you." "There is a reason why sleep deprivation is used as a form of torture, because it messes with your neurochemistry and how you feel about everything." "There is a really good substitute for breast milk; there is no substitute for a mom's mental health." "Just because it's natural, doesn't mean it's not hard." "We shouldn't be relegated to a jeans size or a number on a scale after our bodies have done something miraculous." HOST BIO Mariam is a GP trainee in Wales passionate about improving our healthcare colleagues' wellbeing. She has experience on the Schwartz Round Steering group and as a facilitator for her health board, and she created and led the Balint Group Programme for Foundation Doctors in her hospital. These are regular spaces for healthcare professionals to speak about real issues that affect their well-being amongst colleagues to improve mutual support and camaraderie in the workplace. She also holds qualifications in Life Coaching and healthcare leadership and management. Whatever your reason for joining us on this podcast, we are glad you have taken the time.  If you are having stressful days at work, leaving you feeling demotivated, and depleted, I'm hoping I can help here. This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/

The discount code SAFESPACE20 gives 20% off all 12-month access on Pastest’s post-graduate exam platforms https://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=46017&awinaffid=2708016&ued=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pastest.com%2F If you like the episode, please follow on Instagram @safespace.hcp and TikTok @safespacer0 for more content and share. Extended guided meditations are coming soon on my Substack and website www.saferspace.info In this episode, Dr. Emma Presern, a GP and founder of Rebellious Health, shares her profound journey through burnout and recovery. After training in anatomical science and neuroscience and practicing medicine across the UK and Australia, Emma faced a significant mental health crisis during her specialist training. This turning point led her to take a year-long sabbatical, during which she embarked on a solo 600-kilometer hike across the Slovenian mountains. Emma discusses the systemic pressures of the healthcare system, the importance of holistic health, and the transformative power of nature, breathwork, and self-care. Out of her experiences, Rebellious Health was born, a movement aimed at challenging systemic pressures and helping clinicians reconnect with themselves and nature. KEY TAKEAWAYS Emma’s burnout started insidiously with anxiety, insomnia, and panic attacks, which she initially struggled to acknowledge due to the perceived immunity of healthcare professionals to mental health struggles. The current healthcare system often treats clinicians like machines, prioritising productivity over humanity and failing to provide adequate support for their well-being. Taking an extended break for self-care and reflection can be life-changing, allowing for deep rest and the discovery of new wellness tools like breathwork and nature connection. True wellness involves an interconnectedness between mind, body, soul, nature, and spirit, moving beyond just treating symptoms. Building supportive communities and advocating for systemic change is essential to combat the isolation many healthcare workers feel and to create a more sustainable healthcare system. BEST MOMENTS "I really didn't want to admit it to myself or to anybody else. I thought I was totally immune to mental health struggles." "We forget as healthcare professionals, as doctors, that we're human first. It's not even just what we want, it's what the system wants of us as well." "I'm so much more interested in people's gaps on their CVs now than their CV itself because those gaps actually tell you a lot about who that person is becoming." "Self-care is so necessary, and it often is really quite messy and very uncomfortable to go through. It's not just massages and bubble baths." "I'm a big advocate for slow medicine. These 10-15 minute consultations are harmful both to the patient and the doctor." HOST BIO Mariam is a GP trainee in Wales passionate about improving our healthcare colleagues' wellbeing. She has experience on the Schwartz Round Steering group and as a facilitator for her health board, and she created and led the Balint Group Programme for Foundation Doctors in her hospital. These are regular spaces for healthcare professionals to speak about real issues that affect their well-being amongst colleagues to improve mutual support and camaraderie in the workplace. She also holds qualifications in Life Coaching and healthcare leadership and management. Whatever your reason for joining us on this podcast, we are glad you have taken the time.  If you are having stressful days at work, leaving you feeling demotivated, and depleted, I'm hoping I can help here. This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/

The discount code SAFESPACE20 gives 20% off all 12-month access on Pastest’s post-graduate exam platforms https://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=46017&awinaffid=2708016&ued=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pastest.com%2F If you like the episode, please follow on Instagram @safespace.hcp and TikTok @safespacer0 for more content and share. Extended guided meditations are coming soon on my Substack and website www.saferspace.info Mariam interviews Andy Baker, Managing Director of Able Training Support Ltd, as they explore the psychology of workplace violence and aggression within healthcare settings. Drawing from his personal journey, from being mugged at knifepoint to becoming a leading expert in conflict management, Andy challenges the traditional ‘punishment and reward’ models of behaviourism. He also introduces his TARGET framework, a six-stage model that shifts the focus from judging ‘challenging behaviour’ to understanding the unmet needs and stressors behind it.  KEY TAKEAWAYS De-escalation is most effective when you first establish a human connection. Addressing a patient's emotional state before enforcing rules (like ‘you can't leave’) prevents escalation. Shifting from the term ‘challenging behaviour’ to ‘behaviours that challenge’ shifts the focus from labelling the person to acknowledging how the observer perceives the action based on their own boundaries and stress levels. All behaviour serves a function, often acting as a strategy to meet an unmet need or cope with stress. Understanding the why (the unmet need) is more productive than punishing the ‘what’. Healthcare workers cannot effectively care for others if they are depleted. Organisations must move beyond ‘tick-box’ trauma training to fostering a culture that prioritises staff well-being and emotional regulation. Approaching conflict with curiosity rather than judgment allows staff to move from an emotional survival mode to a rational problem-solving mode, leading to better outcomes for both staff and patients. BEST MOMENTS "I can never teach you anything that's going to force you to change somebody else's behaviour. Whose behaviour can you change? Your own. And by changing your own, you force other people to interact differently with you." "We're all in our own boat, but we're all in the same storm or in the same sea, and it's how we then turn our sails or manage our oars to cope in that situation." "If a person doesn't know how to read, we teach. If they don't know how to write, we teach. But when they don't know how to behave, our instinct is to punish rather than teach." "You don't need to accept bad behaviour, but we should always accept thoughts and feelings." "Happy people don't kick off. So something must be wrong for them to be acting that way." HOST BIO Mariam is a GP trainee in Wales passionate about improving our healthcare colleagues' wellbeing. She has experience on the Schwartz Round Steering group and as a facilitator for her health board, and she created and led the Balint Group Programme for Foundation Doctors in her hospital. These are regular spaces for healthcare professionals to speak about real issues that affect their well-being amongst colleagues to improve mutual support and camaraderie in the workplace. She also holds qualifications in Life Coaching and healthcare leadership and management. Whatever your reason for joining us on this podcast, we are glad you have taken the time.  If you are having stressful days at work, leaving you feeling demotivated, and depleted, I'm hoping I can help here. This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/

Jo Wright, co-founder of Coaching Culture Limited and former 30-year corporate leader turned coach, discusses shifting healthcare from task-focused management to coaching-led leadership. She outlines a 7-step framework, the power of short coaching moments in busy shifts, building psychological safety and belonging, and why empathy and human connection matter more than tech for lasting cultural change.

The discount code SAFESPACE20 gives 20% off all 12-month access on Pastest’s post-graduate exam platforms https://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=46017&awinaffid=2708016&ued=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pastest.com%2F If you like the episode, please follow on Instagram @safespace.hcp and TikTok @safespacer0 for more content and share. Extended guided meditations are coming soon on my Substack and website www.saferspace.info In this episode, Mariam is joined by Dr. Jeevan Swamy, a GP, health inequalities lead, and tech entrepreneur. Dr. Swamy shares his fascinating journey from a religious upbringing to becoming a ‘Christian atheist’ whose moral lens is deeply shaped by values of trust, compassion, and service.  KEY TAKEAWAYS Meaningful healthcare starts with building trust through a genuine interest in a patient’s unique story beyond their clinical symptoms. Many men, particularly in South Asian cultures, struggle with mental health because they equate their worth solely with economic provision, leading to suppressed emotions and burnout. Effective leadership in high-pressure environments like the NHS should prioritize psychological safety and the ability to admit mistakes over traditional, hierarchical authority. Showing vulnerability as a leader or practitioner is not a weakness; it is a strength that encourages others to speak up and seek the support they need. True advocacy for staff involves lowering the barrier for entry to express concerns, ensuring that even the most quiet or marginalised voices are heard and acted upon. BEST MOMENTS "Trust is at the heart of everything that we do. It’s all about creating those kinds of spaces of trust for people." "A man isn’t just worth what his paycheck is, he’s also worth who he is as a human being." "There’s no one pill that’s going to solve life, the solutions to life come in the hard work." "You have to shout, and you have to shout even louder to be heard. Keep shouting until someone listens." "The leaders always have to do more of the work to make people feel comfortable. You have to make yourself approachable." HOST BIO Mariam is a GP trainee in Wales passionate about improving our healthcare colleagues' wellbeing. She has experience on the Schwartz Round Steering group and as a facilitator for her health board, and she created and led the Balint Group Programme for Foundation Doctors in her hospital. These are regular spaces for healthcare professionals to speak about real issues that affect their well-being amongst colleagues to improve mutual support and camaraderie in the workplace. She also holds qualifications in Life Coaching and healthcare leadership and management. Whatever your reason for joining us on this podcast, we are glad you have taken the time.  If you are having stressful days at work, leaving you feeling demotivated, and depleted, I'm hoping I can help here. This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/

The discount code SAFESPACE20 gives 20% off all 12-month access on Pastest’s post-graduate exam platforms ⁠https://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=46017&awinaffid=2708016&ued=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pastest.com%2F⁠ If you like the episode, please follow on Instagram @safespace.hcp and TikTok @safespacer0 for more content and share. Extended guided meditations are coming soon on my Substack and website www.saferspace.info In this powerful episode, Mariam sits down with Dr. Christine Muhota, an internal medicine doctor and a leading advocate for mental health within the medical community. Dr. Muhota shares her personal journey through burnout during her clinical years and explains the ‘grassroots’ origins of her award-winning charity, Mind Health for Medical Students.  KEY TAKEAWAYS Dr. Muhota emphasises that the first step to cultural change is breaking the silence; realising that colleagues are ‘silently struggling’ creates the solidarity needed to build support systems. Medical schools often offer ‘performative action’ (like help forms or emails) without ensuring these resources are accessible, effective, or free from stigma. True leadership isn't about being the loudest voice; it is about delegating, trusting your team, and creating a safe environment where other voices can emerge. A sustainable medical training model must include mandatory time off for students and doctors to recover, attend personal appointments, and prevent total exhaustion. Burnout is not a personal weakness or an individual failure; it is a ‘natural response’ to an unsustainable system that depletes its staff without replenishing them. BEST MOMENTS "I realised that oh, I'm getting a lot more tired. I'm not able to sleep very well, and I realised actually we're all kind of silently struggling." "Imagine if compassion wasn't seen as an extra, it's the base of the pizza. It's the sauce as well as the base. It’s not some kind of extra thing that you sprinkle on top." "You can’t pour compassion from an empty cup. The system has to also create the spaces for us to uphold this, otherwise it’s hard." "Leadership does not mean that your voice is the loudest in the room. It is about creating a safe space for other people’s voices and ideas to come through, and then you amplify that." "Sustainability comes from being able to connect with who are you working for, what is the current need, and how are we going to make this happen."

The discount code SAFESPACE20 gives 20% off all 12-month access on Pastest’s post-graduate exam platforms ⁠https://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=46017&awinaffid=2708016&ued=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pastest.com%2F⁠ If you like the episode, please follow on Instagram @safespace.hcp and TikTok @safespacer0 for more content and share. Extended guided meditations are coming soon on my Substack and website www.saferspace.info In this powerful episode, Mariam sits down with Dr. Daniel Gearon, a surgical trainee and the founder of the charity YouOkayDoc. Daniel shares the personal tragedy that sparked a movement: the loss of his cousin and fellow doctor, Liz Sizer, to suicide. Together, they explore the dangerous stigma of ‘invincibility’ in medicine, the high rates of suicide within the profession, and the urgent need to view doctors as humans before healers. KEY TAKEAWAYS YouOkayDoc was founded in response to the tragic suicide of Dr. Liz Sizer in 2016. It was created to fill a void in the medical community, providing a bespoke mental health support system specifically for doctors who often feel they have nowhere to turn. The medical culture often equates resilience with silence and endurance. Daniel highlights how doctors are conditioned to view their own mental struggles as weakness, fearing that admitting they need help will make them seem unfit for the competitive environment of medicine. One of YouOkayDoc’s core initiatives, the ‘Weekly Huddle’, proved that peer-to-peer connection is vital. Providing a safe, virtual space where doctors can drop the white coat persona and speak openly about trauma and exhaustion has been a lifeline for many. Daniel opens up about his own struggles balancing a surgical career with running a national charity. His decision to take time out for a Master's degree and seek therapy illustrates that stepping back and asking for help are acts of strength, not failure. BEST MOMENTS "I think the culture within healthcare professionals is that if they were to admit that there is something going on, the fear is: 'How can I be shown to be weak in such a strong, competitive environment?'" "We’ve become desensitised as doctors to what we're exposed to, and what we're taught how to cope with at medical school, is to soldier on." "It's saying the unsaid, saying what we all know but are not articulating." "Saving lives doesn't always come in the form of medical intervention, sometimes it comes through words, presence, and listening." "If you're going to start a charity, you have to focus on the community that you're going to serve first, because the community are going to be the people that rally around the organisation." HOST BIO Mariam is a GP trainee in Wales passionate about improving our healthcare colleagues' wellbeing. She has experience on the Schwartz Round Steering group and as a facilitator for her health board, and she created and led the Balint Group Programme for Foundation Doctors in her hospital. These are regular spaces for healthcare professionals to speak about real issues that affect their well-being amongst colleagues to improve mutual support and camaraderie in the workplace. She also holds qualifications in Life Coaching and healthcare leadership and management. Whatever your reason for joining us on this podcast, we are glad you have taken the time.  If you are having stressful days at work, leaving you feeling demotivated, and depleted, I'm hoping I can help here. This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/