Episode 7: Gill's Story (Part 1 of 2)

“There are definitely people who are on the same trajectory I was on; where you learn to value your own success through your achievements. But you come to a point where you can’t just keep striving and striving and striving, you just burn out. For high performers, it can be really hard to let go of that model, once it becomes clear it’s no longer sustainable.”

In the penultimate episode of our series, Stephen and I sit down with Gill Simpson, an experienced executive coach and business leader. Our discussion reveals surprising overlaps between what drives change and performance in our jobs, and what helps us sustain our health and wellbeing.

We feel there are some hugely valuable lessons which come out of our conversation with Gill:

• Understanding your drivers: How your personal history and learned behaviours shape your approach to work and home, and when those drivers help or hinder

• Circles of concern: Identifying what you can (and can’t) control, and focusing your energy where it counts most

• Making progress one step at a time: How even small, consistent changes can shift the trajectory of your work, life, and health for the better

There are some books which Gill has recommended to our listeners (links below):

The circles of concern/control come from Stephen Covey’s book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”

William Bridges has written a number of books on his model of transition – probably the most relevant one for individuals is “Transitions – Making Sense of Life’s Changes”

And another useful resource might be Dr Windy Dryden’s book “Ten Steps to Positive Living”. It helps you learn new ways of dealing with problems, including some of the topics we touched on: challenging our thinking distortions, taking control of our lives, accepting reality, and coming to terms with change.