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Gen Kobayashi is UK group chief strategy officer at M+C Saatchi. Gen also knows the pain of bereavement first-hand, as he sadly lost his sister-in-law to cancer.

Gen is a key industry voice on grief and bereavement. In this beautiful conversation he shares the profound impact of loss on his family. Gen explores what true support looks like, and shares why grief made him take a proper break from work for the first time ever.

Both Gen and Louise have experienced bereavement over the past few years, making this a heartfelt and empathetic conversation. They discuss how best to support team members who are grieving, sharing practical tips as well as emotional insights.

Need some grief support after listening to this? Call the NABS Advice Line for a listening ear.

Key takeaways:

• Take time to understand what the bereaved person needs
• Replace platitudes with active listening and genuine empathy
• Look after yourself too when you’re supporting someone going through grief.

Resources

NABS Managers’ Mindsets

NABS grief page

Caroline Parkes’ post about grief

Gen’s piece for Campaign about grief

NABS Advice Line

Support the show

If you work in advertising, marketing or media, NABS is here for you. Through good times and bad, we’re here to get you through all of life’s issues, in and out of work.

Want to build a network? We’ll connect you to the industry.

Aiming to be your best work self? We’ll develop your skills.

Need a listening ear, a friendly face, a confidential chat, some money advice or some help with your mental health? We’re here for that too.

NABS is your charity, generously funded by the industry. Thanks for having our back; we’ve definitely got yours.

Need A Bit of Support? Speak to NABS.

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How to manage your team's mental wellness - and your own, with Sue Todd, CEO, NABS

Sue Todd is the CEO of NABS, the industry's charity, helping everybody to move forward. She's not just in charge of adland's mental wellness; she's also responsible for the mental wellness of the NABS team. To mark Mental Health Awareness Week (12-18 May), Sue comes onto the NABS podcast for the first time to talk about community, meditation, the menopause and more.

Key takeaways:

• Employers have to do as much as they can to support those going through perimenopause, especially as the support isn't always out there in the wider world
• Meditation doesn't have to be woo-woo, there's a way to do it that helps to separate you from your thoughts
• Community is vital for us - there's real value in learning together and from each other, for example in NABS' Explore and Connect sessions

Resources mentioned in this episode:

WACL

Mental Health Awareness Week

NABS Explore and Connect sessions

Walk and Talk for NABS

MEFA

All In Census

IPA People First Promise

NABS Advice Line

NABS Managers’ Mindsets

NABS All Ears community consultation

Support the show

If you work in advertising, marketing or media, NABS is here for you. Through good times and bad, we’re here to get you through all of life’s issues, in and out of work.

Want to build a network? We’ll connect you to the industry.

Aiming to be your best work self? We’ll develop your skills.

Need a listening ear, a friendly face, a confidential chat, some money advice or some help with your mental health? We’re here for that too.

NABS is your charity, generously funded by the industry. Thanks for having our back; we’ve definitely got yours.

Need A Bit of Support? Speak to NABS.

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Find out how you can support NABS...

Got a question for The NABS Podcast?

How to make a big impact without burnout, with Bianca Best

Bianca Best knows about burnout - she experienced it, and has now written a book on how to avoid burnout while making an impact at work. Bianca is an adland powerhouse, a solo mum of four (five if you include her dog), a coach and a speaker, so she certainly knows about fulfilling your potential without damaging your mental wellness. Having got to the burnout point some years ago, Bianca knows how to bring yourself back from the edge of burnout, and how to avoid it in future.

Key takeaways:

• There are four elements to burnout: physical, mental, emotional and spiritual
• The first step in overcoming burnout is to acknowledge any shame you have around it
• Ambition is a good thing that can exist alongside your mental wellness

Resources mentioned in this episode

Bianca's website

Big Impact Without Burnout

NABS Advice Line

NABS Managers' Mindsets

NABS on burnout in Marketing Week: here and here

NABS on burnout in Campaign

Support the show

If you work in advertising, marketing or media, NABS is here for you. Through good times and bad, we’re here to get you through all of life’s issues, in and out of work.

Want to build a network? We’ll connect you to the industry.

Aiming to be your best work self? We’ll develop your skills.

Need a listening ear, a friendly face, a confidential chat, some money advice or some help with your mental health? We’re here for that too.

NABS is your charity, generously funded by the industry. Thanks for having our back; we’ve definitely got yours.

Need A Bit of Support? Speak to NABS.

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Find out how you can support NABS...

Got a question for The NABS Podcast?

TW: premature birth; miscarriage

How we created a dads' community at work, with Ben Irons and Joe Dolan of Microsoft Advertising

Ben Irons and Joe Dolan are advertising leaders, coaches and working dads. Together they run Dads at Microsoft, a group that supports dads - and mums - across the world in the company. The group's listening circles are where parents come together for advice and support seasoned with good humour, which makes sense because Ben and Joe are definitely a good laugh as well as being very serious about the need for practical support for working parents. In this lively chat we cover a range of subjects that will resonate with all parents and managers of parents.

Key takeaways:

• How to run a listening circle for parents in your workplace - you don't need all the answers - but someone else in the group might have them;
• Role modelling is key, as is communication, when creating solutions to help your work-life blend; and
• Self-care isn't selfish, it's a must-have when you're a parent.

Resources mentioned in this episode

Joe's LinkedIn

Ben's LinkedIn

NABS Managers' Mindsets

NABS Advice Line

Bliss charity for parents of premature and sick babies

Miscarriage Association

Support the show

If you work in advertising, marketing or media, NABS is here for you. Through good times and bad, we’re here to get you through all of life’s issues, in and out of work.

Want to build a network? We’ll connect you to the industry.

Aiming to be your best work self? We’ll develop your skills.

Need a listening ear, a friendly face, a confidential chat, some money advice or some help with your mental health? We’re here for that too.

NABS is your charity, generously funded by the industry. Thanks for having our back; we’ve definitely got yours.

Need A Bit of Support? Speak to NABS.

Sign up to the NABS newsletter

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Find out how you can support NABS...

Got a question for The NABS Podcast?

tw: suicide

Emma Flaxman is senior commercial comms lead at Channel 4 and a mental wellness influencer in adland, having led on mental health for the likes of PHD and Omnicom Group UK. Emma is superbly open about her own challenges, especially where they relate to becoming a single parent. She blogs about her experiences on her blog. In this brilliant conversation, Emma talks about spotting burnout in yourself and in your team as well as what life looks like for her as a senior leader raising two children on her own. We also discuss the importance of movement and recovering from the trauma of school sports to reclaim physical and mental fitness as an adult.

Key takeaways:

• Burnout often goes unrecognised until it manifests in behaviour changes
• Managers should ask their team members open-ended questions to understand how they're feeling
• Giving back to others can make you feel great, no matter how busy you are.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

NABS Managers' Mindsets
NABS Inclusive Leader
NABS Advice Line
Insanelynormal
Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM)

Support the show

If you work in advertising, marketing or media, NABS is here for you. Through good times and bad, we’re here to get you through all of life’s issues, in and out of work.

Want to build a network? We’ll connect you to the industry.

Aiming to be your best work self? We’ll develop your skills.

Need a listening ear, a friendly face, a confidential chat, some money advice or some help with your mental health? We’re here for that too.

NABS is your charity, generously funded by the industry. Thanks for having our back; we’ve definitely got yours.

Need A Bit of Support? Speak to NABS.

Sign up to the NABS newsletter

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Find out how you can support NABS...

Got a question for The NABS Podcast?

tw: alcohol addiction, depression

Natalie Bell is CEO, MG OMD and one of the industry's most prolific leaders, with a string of accolades to show for it. With her focus on people and mental wellness, she's well-placed to talk about leading with empathy. Natalie also has a moving story to tell: that of living with her mother's alcohol addiction, and how this has affected her.

This is a thought-provoking and heartfelt discussion, which also delves into the importance of supporting managers in our industry.

Key takeaways:

Alcohol use disorder is a spectrum, and we need to talk more about what this complex condition looks like;

We still need to do more to make it OK to drink a little, or not at all, at industry events; and

Our industry needs to give more resource and support to managers, so they can support themselves and their teams.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

NABS Advice Line nabs.org.uk/how-we-can-help/advice-line/

NABS Walk and Talk nabs.org.uk/walk-and-talk/

Drinkaware drinkaware.co.uk/

Tabbin Almond winetowatercoaching.com/my-story

NABS Managers' Mindsets nabs.org.uk/managers/

Support the show

If you work in advertising, marketing or media, NABS is here for you. Through good times and bad, we’re here to get you through all of life’s issues, in and out of work.

Want to build a network? We’ll connect you to the industry.

Aiming to be your best work self? We’ll develop your skills.

Need a listening ear, a friendly face, a confidential chat, some money advice or some help with your mental health? We’re here for that too.

NABS is your charity, generously funded by the industry. Thanks for having our back; we’ve definitely got yours.

Need A Bit of Support? Speak to NABS.

Sign up to the NABS newsletter

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Find out how you can support NABS...

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James Fox is the outgoing CEO of Havas. First and foremost though, in his own words, he's a dad, and in this conversation he talks about the truth of being a working parent and a leader in adland with refreshing honesty and perspective. It shouldn't be unusual for an adland leader to say that it's OK and natural for parents to put their children first, but it is, and in this conversation James talks about how he manages the parenting/working combination.

James is also fascinating on the topic of the 'shadow board' at Havas, which enables people across the organisation to ask him questions about anything - anonymously.

Key takeaways:

• Therapy is for everyone, not just for people in crisis
• Open communication is everything, between your peers and across your organisation
• Parental leave for dads is a wonderful thing; dads returning to work also need structured support

Resources:

NABS Managers' Mindsets

NABS Advice Line

Support the show

If you work in advertising, marketing or media, NABS is here for you. Through good times and bad, we’re here to get you through all of life’s issues, in and out of work.

Want to build a network? We’ll connect you to the industry.

Aiming to be your best work self? We’ll develop your skills.

Need a listening ear, a friendly face, a confidential chat, some money advice or some help with your mental health? We’re here for that too.

NABS is your charity, generously funded by the industry. Thanks for having our back; we’ve definitely got yours.

Need A Bit of Support? Speak to NABS.

Sign up to the NABS newsletter

Follow NABS on LinkedIn

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Find out how you can support NABS...

Got a question for The NABS Podcast?

Trevor Robinson OBE is the co-founder of Quiet Storm, which he runs with his wife Rania (also a NABS Podcast guest) and Create not Hate, which works with young talent from underrepresented groups.

Trevor is the brains and creativity behind the legendary Tango advert in the 90s, having adopted a fearless attitude cultivated as a young creative, on the dole, trying to get into the adland industry.

He's passionate about creativity and diversity and is refreshingly down-to-earth, especially when speaking about working with Rania and looking after his mental wellness.

Key takeaways:

• The drive for diversity needs to come from the top
• If you work with your spouse or partner, you have to get things out in the open
• Don't be afraid of things going wrong in your career

Resources

Quiet Storm https://quietstorm.co.uk/

Create not Hate http://createnothate.org/

Creative Circle https://www.creativecircle.co.uk/

Support the show

If you work in advertising, marketing or media, NABS is here for you. Through good times and bad, we’re here to get you through all of life’s issues, in and out of work.

Want to build a network? We’ll connect you to the industry.

Aiming to be your best work self? We’ll develop your skills.

Need a listening ear, a friendly face, a confidential chat, some money advice or some help with your mental health? We’re here for that too.

NABS is your charity, generously funded by the industry. Thanks for having our back; we’ve definitely got yours.

Need A Bit of Support? Speak to NABS.

Sign up to the NABS newsletter

Follow NABS on LinkedIn

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Find out how you can support NABS...