Ep 19: Lighthouse Support with Sarah Poirier
Counsellor Convos with Sheila McMahon
Release Date: 07/28/2024
Dealing with long term conflict (+ how our minds and bodies are connected) with Jono Oates
Counsellor Convos with Sheila McMahon
Thank you so much Jono for joining me this week! to reach out to Jono, visit: Jono opened up about long term workplace conflict, how it felt to reach out for help over it, and how conflict and communication is a two way street, with both parties having been able to start up that dialogue of healing. Jono also very bravely opened up about his recent health issues, and how this impacted his day to day life as well as his mental health. Again, I cannot thank you enough for joining me today and being so open about everything going on - such amazing life experience and insights...
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Dealing with Difficult People and Becoming A Better You with Ben Hatfield
Counsellor Convos with Sheila McMahon
'being anyone else is a waste of you' 'your brain is for having thoughts, not holding them' 'it's selfish to think one person can fulfill every need you have in life' 'consider how you spend your emotional budget' 'healing and life are not linear, we have peaks and valleys' Folks, we cover a LOT of ground in this conversation between myself and my editor, Ben! Ben has been working with me for a couple of years now producing my visual content across my socials and I've loved exploring this topic with him. At one point, I even became the interviewee! Folks, going into christmas...
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Grief, Loss, and Family with Margaret Delaney - Counsellor Convos
Counsellor Convos with Sheila McMahon
Today, folks, we discuss some heavy topics. Love. Loss. License to feel our emotions. Fear of failiure and fatigue. Distress over death. A misalignment with autistic parents. The feelings we get as we go through life. Please note, this is going to have themes of loss, death, funerals, and diagnosis throughout. If you're going through a sensitive time or losing someone, please proceed cautiously. Thank you for being so wonderfully open with me, Margaret! I loved hearing about your life, your worries about death and how you empowered yourself to push through those concerns, and how your...
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Overcoming Fear with Rod Smith
Counsellor Convos with Sheila McMahon
Folks, many of you have been following along with my motorcycle journey these past few years - rod has been central to its continued development. This man, with his warm smile, kind heart, and understanding mind, not only helped me pause and progress my journey as and when needed, but quite honestly he may have Saved my LIFE. Today, we discuss Rod and my experience approaching my latest test, the grief I was in, poor mindsets and how it affects us as drivers, learners, and individuals. Thank you so much, Rod. It's always an honour to get to spend time with you and I love the...
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Ep 27: Has The Medical Industry Lost Its Mind? With Dr. Robert Smith M.D
Counsellor Convos with Sheila McMahon
Okay Folks, let's get some housekeeping out the way first - important stuff! Trigger warnings: we will be discussing feelings of depression, experiences of depression, medication, panic attacks, suicidal feelings, therapy, and failings within the medical industry. A Key Reminder: It is not the fault of individual doctors, but a failing in the processes of training and maintaining education levels representative of the latest data, which no longer separates the mind and body and sees one as affecting the other! Your doctor isn't to blame - please do not see it as such. The problem lies in the...
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Ep 26: Reshaping Reality with NLP Hypnotherapist Debbie Williams
Counsellor Convos with Sheila McMahon
''I wonder what miracles will happen this week'' nobody has the power to hurt you without your permission - Eleanor Roosevelt mild explicit language throughout content warning: themes of phobias, anxiety, and dental/surgery covered. Light language featured. Discussion of Bulimia and bulimic experiences discussed and bullying touched upon. Experience of an affair, emotional abuse and gaslighting discussed. Experience of bleeds during pregnancy discussed in combination of parental abuse. discussion of rape and non consensual underage intercourse Debbie is a trained hypnotherapist who...
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Ep25: The Mind-Gut Connection with Alison Taylor
Counsellor Convos with Sheila McMahon
TW: Themes of disordered eating (though nothing explicitly detailed!) 'Our gut is our second brain. There is a direct correlation between what we're thinking and what we're feeling.' Folks, today we speak to Alison Taylor, who is an AMAZING individual who has spent her entire life educating people of all ages on their bodies, their eating habits, and how the gut influences our minds! Now, I've known Alison for many years now and she's not one to put out information without having some backing so if you're looking for even more information on our rest and digest processes, the mind-gut...
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Ep 24: Mid Life Mental Health Management with Steven Quance
Counsellor Convos with Sheila McMahon
TW: Themes of depression, experiences with loss, suicide, mental health talks, and violence. If you need to speak with someone urgently and feel you may be at risk, reach out to a professional or contact the Samaritans at Today folks, we speak with Steven Quance, a jeweller who opens up about his experiences with mental health management. Steven talks through his younger years and builds a full image of how nerves, anxiety, and worry held him back and how opening up to friends and experts assisted him in managing his mental health. Steven also talks about the various triggers that might...
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Ep 23: Postnatal Depression (PND) with Becci Willis
Counsellor Convos with Sheila McMahon
TW: Postnatal Depression, self harm, themes of depression, impulsive thoughts Postnatal depression (PND) is a mood disorder that can affect people who are pregnant or have recently given birth. If you're having difficulties with your mental health and PND, please reach out to a professional or to friends and family. You are not alone. Folks, today we're speaking with Becci Willis of Yarny Bees who was so incredibly and bravely joined us to speak openly and honestly about her experience with PND in the early stages of caring for her new born, and the feelings of grief she felt over the...
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Ep 22: Support and Connecting with Others - SOBS talk with Sarah Bushby
Counsellor Convos with Sheila McMahon
TW: We are discussing themes of suicide throughout this episode. If you're feeling suicidal please reach out to the Samaritans at: or call 116 123 Folks, today we discuss bereavement by suicide. We discuss how it affects the family and how SOBS, an amazing supportive charity, helps people keep those support circles in their lives through one of the toughest times anyone can go through. Thank you so much Sarah, for not only volunteering and working towards creating a network of over 90 face to face meeting across the UK for survivors of bereavement by suicide, but for sharing your own...
info_outlineWow, folks, I am just blown away with the level of support, the range of services, and the pro-active approach that Lighthouse demonstrates.
Lighthouse has been established for many many years and provides emotional, physical and financial wellbeing support to construction workers and their families. They're also not publicly funded - meaning they rely on the generosity of the industry and donors.
Folks, speaking with my amazing guest this week, Sarah Poirier, I learned SO much.
Firstly, I learned how to pronounce her surname.
But then I learned about their immediate help. They help whole families with so many aspects of life! If you're an employer or a spouse, you can sit down with your person who needs help and take the call for them (with their permission). Lighthouse has helped by sending families hampers at christmas time, going food shopping and building out meals for the week for families, and if they can't get the food to them in that day they've even ordered Uber Eats meals for delivery direct to their doors.
Sarah also told me about how they've assisted with paperwork in the past over the phone and have the capacity to translate conversations to make a more inclusive and accessible space for all builders, construction crew, architects and labourers from all walks of life and all backgrounds.
Sarah, once again thank you SO MUCH for being a part of the Counsellor Convos journey. Thank you for giving me an hour of your time and gifting me the awareness of exactly what I can do, as well as all of my listeners, to support those we love and care for deeply.
To reach out to Lighthouse, you can do any of the following:
Lighthouse Club - The Construction Industry Charity:
Text 'HARDHAT' to:
UK: 85258
Republic of Ireland: 50808
Website: https://www.lighthouseclub.org/
Or call:
UK: 0345 605 1956
ROI: 1800 939 122
For more information on my practice then visit my website: https://www.mindmanagementforyou.com/
Together, we can make a difference
- Sheila McMahon