Today we have two guests on our podcast – Kelly Brougham and Amy Swan, the co-founders of Active Families North East.

Kelly and Amy share similar values around community resilience, and the importance of supporting each other along with access for everyone to physical activity, so it’s easy to see why they founded a Community Interest Company together.

Their first careers were different, but it is their shared passion of fitness that brought them together. Like many girls, neither were encouraged to enjoy sport at school, and it was only after leaving school that fitness entered their lives.

Both understand that people are interested in people and started their business when both had young children. Understanding and listening to what people needed they decided their instantly know Kelly and Amy knew what they were talking about, and so the business started.

They’ve now been working in their business Active Families for nine years and have developed lots of different sessions that connect people in their local communities. They’ve developed new ideas including an innovative project that they call the Wellbeing Machine – where they take activity to people in their own communities.

Kelly and Amy also share their new project, developing a device, which was showcased on The Big Idea show hosted by Sara Davies.

They talk about how they have built their reputation through developing their own business skills, ensuring their staff are the right people for the job, and seeking support from business mentors.

Overtime, they have also come to recognise that they cannot do everything themselves, so have started to network with other organizations, leading to successful working partnerships including the Salvation Army.

Take a listen and understand their learnings so you can develop a successful organisation that makes a real difference to the people in your local community.

You can contact us at the following:

Dr Carol Sargent: https://sargentgroup.consulting/

Dr Tom Adler: https://getbide.com/

Active Families

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/activefamiliesne

Website https://activefamiliesne.co.uk/

Today our podcast guest is Stefan Thomas and we speak about how he lives with Ulcerative colitis and why he is on a mission to break down the barriers about speaking about the “embarrassing stuff”

Having been diagnosed at the age of 27, Stefan shares what it’s like to live with a condition that can, during a flare-up, require him to go to the toilet between 20 and 50 times a day, and also deal with occasional bowel incontinence.

He tells us how he was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis and why it’s important to see a medical professional if you see blood in your poo.

Without any embarrassment - having overcome that emotion over the years – he shares what it is like to live with a condition that can, during a flare-up, require you to go to the toilet between 20 and 50 times a day, and also on occasion causing bowel incontinence.

He explains how by being open with the medical profession, they have been able to support him in both personal and professional life. This includes specific interventions when he is hosting events and attending professional speaking engagements.

Stefan shares some practical approaches for how he manages his Ulcerative Colitis. He highlights the importance a ‘toilet for everyone’ makes to his life, advocating all new build public spaces should have these and explains why.

If you are concerned you might have Colitis or Crohn’s or are currently living with it then this podcast is well worth listening to. Equally, if you are worried about seeking support from the medical profession about something embarrassing, then you may gain some confidence to take that next step.

You can contact us at the following:

Dr Carol Sargent: https://sargentgroup.consulting/

Dr Tom Adler: https://getbide.com/

Stefan Thomas: https://www.facebook.com/stefanthomasdotbiz/#

https://www.stefanthomas.biz/

Our podcast visitor today is Debbie Gilbert, a serial entrepreneur.

Listen to Debbie share how her life took her on an amazing career journey and find out how she has supported lots of women to pursue a career that works around their lives.

She talks about how she left school at 16 and worked for British Gas where she spent a year working in Customer Services – where people often shouted and screamed at her. Debbie says this prepared her for whatever life has thrown at her since.

She shares about the difficulties of having to care for her father, who had young onset dementia; her mother, Multiple Sclerosis and her ageing grandparents, all will also being a single parent with a young child.

This is when Debbie set up her first business, using the skills she’d previously gained, and her personal network, juggling her time and using all the hours in the day.

After the death of both her parents and grandparents, Debbie went on to establish other extremely successful businesses including a; network company, marketing business and business exhibition organisation.

Debbie has also written two Amazon best seller books, hosts a successful podcast and has won multiple national and international awards.

She highlights the importance of ‘flexibility’ and how incredibly important this is for entrepreneurs, alongside the need to identify and work with “your tribe” of experts and trusted advisors.

Listen and find out which of her helpful tips, accumulated during her 27 years of running her own businesses, could help you to establish your own successful organisation.

You can contact us at the following:

Dr Carol Sargent: https://sargentgroup.consulting/

Dr Tom Adler: https://getbide.com/

Debbie Gilbert: https://www.linkedin.com/in/debgilbert/