Counsellor Convos with Sheila McMahon

Welcome to Counsellor Convos with Sheila McMahon - The podcast which guides you through all sorts of journeys, experiences, and advice in life. We'll be talking to experts from different subjects in different industries as well as speaking to those who have struggled with physical and mental health and have reached the other side. Through understanding of our mental health, we empower ourselves to allow our inner light to shine through. Award Winning Sheila McMahon is a BACP Registered Qualified Counsellor, Family Systemic Practitioner, Author, Singer, Songwriter and Comedienne. She is also a personal survivor of mental ill health. As well as her professional private counselling practice, she mixes counselling with comedy as part of her training, talks and shows. This helps reduce the social stigma that surrounds mental health issues and learn whilst laughing, living up to her catchphrase that ‘life is too serious to be taken seriously…..besides no one gets out alive anyway!’ For even more amazing advice and insight, consider checking out the Sheila McMahon YouTube Channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@SheilasYouTubeChannel

Dealing with long term conflict (+ how our minds and bodies are connected) with Jono Oates 01/28/2026

Dealing with Difficult People and Becoming A Better You with Ben Hatfield 12/23/2025

Grief, Loss, and Family with Margaret Delaney - Counsellor Convos 10/28/2025

Overcoming Fear with Rod Smith 08/30/2025

Ep 27: Has The Medical Industry Lost Its Mind? With Dr. Robert Smith M.D 05/30/2025

Ep 27: Has The Medical Industry Lost Its Mind? With Dr. Robert Smith M.D 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 system, not the people doing their best. It's like cooking without a set of kitchen tools - sure, you can do it but only with what you've got to hand! You can always do things better when properly equipped. Now, if you're feeling suicidal and need to speak to someone, other than a relative or friend, and feel you are in immediate need of help, please contact the Samaritans on the following: Call: 116 123 for Cymraeg, call: 0808 164 0123 Dr. Robert C. Smith M.D . Well, what can I say. This is a man after my own heart, folks. A true champion of prioritising the importance of understanding and applying mental health issues and treatments beyond simply medicating. Robert C. Smith, MD, MACP is a University Distinguished Professor at Michigan State University and a pioneer in patient-centred communication and primary care mental health. He is the author of 'Has Medicine Lost Its Mind?: Why Our Mental Health System is Failing Us and What Should Be Done to Cure It.' In this podcast we discuss the failings in studying the brain throughout history, the disproportionate response to physical symptoms over mental symptoms, and the disconnect between the results wanted and the training provided when it comes to U.S doctors. This is more than just a podcast, folks. It's a call to action from Bob to the public to drive change and incentivise a proactive approach to reducing mental and physical ailments rather than catching things on the reactive end. It's about driving change in an industry so hesitant to absorb practices seen in almost every other science! It's about treating the CAUSE, not just the SYMPTOMS. Dr. Smith's book, 'Has Medicine Lost Its Mind?' (2025) is available from his website (as well as other outlets) here: For more information on my practice then visit my website: Together we make a difference. Thanks for watching x /episode/index/show/5aa24499-6bd0-4cae-9e0b-63e8196c673e/id/36785555

Ep 26: Reshaping Reality with NLP Hypnotherapist Debbie Williams 04/28/2025

Ep25: The Mind-Gut Connection with Alison Taylor 03/28/2025

Ep 24: Mid Life Mental Health Management with Steven Quance 03/01/2025

Ep 23: Postnatal Depression (PND) with Becci Willis 01/29/2025

Ep 22: Support and Connecting with Others - SOBS talk with Sarah Bushby 12/17/2024

Ep 21: Work Life Balance with Phil Watson 11/28/2024

Ep 20: Every Man's Mental Health with AndysManClub ft. Scott Elliott 09/10/2024

Ep 20: Every Man's Mental Health with AndysManClub ft. Scott Elliott Trigger Warnings: Folks, we discuss some heavy topics in detail here. Please, do not listen with children under 16 in the car or at home. We are talking of themes of depression, suicide, drug abuse, alcohol addiction, relapses, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts, historic abuse, unresolved abuse cases, sexual abuse, abuse of a minor, sexual grooming gangs, abuse of power grooming, and more. If you require URGENT help, please speak to a Samaritan: Folks, I want to say a HUGE thank you to Scott Elliott who is not only an open book, an absolute champion for men's mental health, an advocate for helping and listening to each individual, but is also a true gentleman who isn't afraid to show his emotions and not bottle them up. IT'S OKAY TO TALK. Scott has been a key figure in establishing the Lichfield portion of Andysmangroup and if you know anyone who needs help, tell them to reach out to the club. Andysmanclub Lichfield currently meets every Monday (except bank holidays) from 7-9pm at the Lichfield Social Club, Netherstowe, and provide a judgement free, open and honest environment for men to speak about their struggles. No fees. No appointments. No requirements or memberships needed. No judgement. Purely support in an environment where you do not have to feel alone. Scott mentioned something that truly resonated with me in this episode. 'being given a voice was huge for me because over the years I felt like I never had a voice... Being able to sit and speak to someone in a room free of jusgements was huge for me.' Scott found help through a charity called RoSA, who provide support for survivors of rape, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation and sexual violence. Andysmanclub website can be found here: Again, Monday night every monday 7-9pm at Lichfield Social Club, Netherstowe. No appointments needed, Turn up, attend or watch from afar, and allow yourself to not feel alone in your situation. Or, if you're unsure about attending, you can speak to Scott in person on October 5th 2024 at the Lichfield Garrick Theatre where he will be attending my Suicide Prevention Talk. Tickets here: Together, folks, we are not alone. Together we can save lives. All my love this World Suicide Awareness and Prevention day, Sheila McMahon /episode/index/show/5aa24499-6bd0-4cae-9e0b-63e8196c673e/id/32992932

Ep 19: Lighthouse Support with Sarah Poirier 07/28/2024

Ep 19: Lighthouse Support with Sarah Poirier Wow, 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: Or call: UK: 0345 605 1956 ROI: 1800 939 122 For more information on my practice then visit my website: Together, we can make a difference - Sheila McMahon /episode/index/show/5aa24499-6bd0-4cae-9e0b-63e8196c673e/id/32319132

Ep 18: Highlighting Communication in Construction with Karl Grace 07/16/2024

Ep 18: Highlighting Communication in Construction with Karl Grace Trigger warnings updated: Contains discussions of bulimia, anorexia with passing, disordered eating and extreme body dysmorphia, bullying, workplace confrontation, financial depression, emotional and financial poverty, and poor mental health. If you are currently affected by any of these themes please consider reaching out to a professional. If you have feelings or thoughts of suicide, please speak to the Samaritans on 116 123 from any UK phone. If you're worried about speaking to the Samaritans, please view my video where I speak with a volunteer: Folks, today we discuss learning to communicate within the construction industry. We want our relationships with our family, our friends, co-workers, bosses, and sub contractors to be as strong and as stable as the buildings we create in the industry, don't we? My amazing guest, Karl Grace, discusses some of the struggles and challenges many people face in the industry. Some are external battles, and some are battles with our own egos and social expectations we impose on ourselves. Folks, a HUGE thank you once again to Karl Grace. Wow, what a wonderful guest to have shared this platform with. His insights have truly enlightened me to some of the difficulties faced on the daily by both businesses AND individuals. Another thing Karl mentions at the end is that a lot of his work comes via word of mouth. This is also a theme I hear a lot from sole traders. For Karl, this means he's struggled to try and enforce a '3 day work week' for himself, but for many it means they're actively going on site every day, unable to work on their business because they're spending so much time IN their business. It can definitely feel like we need to meet and exceed expectations and this can feel daunting for many manual labourers out there so, again, remember you're not in this alone. Many people will be feeling the same way and it's ideal to reach out to someone. If you want to hear more of these discussions, consider subscribing on YouTube or following the podcast on Spotify or Apple. As mentioned in the podcast, the Architects Benevolent Society work alongside their welfare partner, Anxiety UK, to help support mental health. You can find this here: Once again, thank you to Karl and thank you to the Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists (CIAT), who have made this an episode to remember. Remember, together we can make a difference. For more information on my practice then visit my website: https://www.mindmanagementforyou.com/ /episode/index/show/5aa24499-6bd0-4cae-9e0b-63e8196c673e/id/32158702

Ep 17: Mental First Aid Practices with Matt Higgs 06/28/2024

Ep 16: Mental Health in the Construction Industry with Robin Denton 06/14/2024

Ep 15: Building Each Other Up in the Construction Industry with Lorraine Gregory 05/28/2024

Ep 14: Finding the Light in Darkness with George Graham 04/15/2024

Ep 14: Finding the Light in Darkness with George Graham Trigger warnings: Themes of suicide, suicidal thoughts, isolation, depression, medication, parental loss, spousal loss, and intrusive thoughts. If you're feeling Suicidal, reach out to a loved one or a friend as soon as possible or speak to a professional. You can call the Samaritans 24 hours a day on 116 123 - Help is available. 'there's no point fixing the branches on a tree if the problem is in the roots.' I'm going to keep this write up short and sweet, folks, so you're able to get straight into the episode. George tells us about his experiences of depression, suicidal thoughts, and the worries he encountered going country to country. His troubles followed him and he did something he never expected himself to do: he reached out first. Now, folks, there's some very important and valuable numbers and contacts in the last 5 minutes of this podcast for members at Awareness Head to Toe, however I'm not going to put them here as to avoid potentially sending spam /bots that comb the internet for phone numbers towards these crucial contact points so please do go to the last 5 minutes for these details. The next Suicide Prevention Talk will be on 16th April 2024 and will be an in person event so if you're around you're more than welcome to come to that. Folks, remember to call your loved ones. Check in on the strong ones as well as many of us hide our burdens from the world. Speak to your co workers, to the old lady in the co-op, to the gentleman serving you at the Post Office, to the Amazon delivery driver dropping off your phone cable etc. Every conversation is an opportunity to bless someone's day and, as George mentions in this podcast, the smallest sentence can completely change the trajectory of someone's entire life. Awareness Head to Toe: https://www.awarenessheadtotoe.com Together, we make a difference. For more information on my practice then visit my website: https://www.mindmanagementforyou.com /episode/index/show/5aa24499-6bd0-4cae-9e0b-63e8196c673e/id/30825263

Ep 13: Talking mental health with Frances McGeehan 04/07/2024

Ep 12: Mental Wellbeing with James Fennelly 03/28/2024

Ep11: Auto Immune Diseases with Victoria Ann Spencer-Kibble 03/14/2024

Ep10: OCD and Addictions with Chris Evans 02/28/2024

Ep 9: Valentines Special - Love and Relationships with Suzanne Brady 02/14/2024

Ep 8: Religion and Recovery with Bishop Fintan Monahan 01/28/2024

Ep7: Body Positivity and Verbal Public Shaming with Hayley Glover 01/14/2024

Ep7: Body Positivity and Verbal Public Shaming with Hayley Glover Hi Folks! Today we discuss body confidence with the amazing Hayley Glover! Hayley has worked for years dealing with the general public face to face and she brings a light to the conversation that is often overlooked. She discusses many topics and themes but there are some MAJOR takeaways we can learn from Hayley. I'm going to list a few of these below for you, folks, in case you need a quick reference or if you're stuck for time and can't take in the whole episode: Hayley tells us that the gym is a bit of respite for her. As a woman with a petite frame, she often gets the comment 'you're going to the gym? Why do YOU need to lose weight?' Instead of focusing on the gym as a place to lose weight, instead consider it as a place of 'conditioning'. In this sense, Hayley uses the gym to aid her mental health and conditioning, as well as strength training for her back, which assists with the longevity and safety of her career as an aesthetics expert. Hayley also discusses comments of looking 'gaunt' when poorly. Many people's weight can drastically fluctuate during moments of physical and mental turmoil. It's important to consider the impact your words may have on that individual. For Hayley, as she states in this episode, she can easily lose half a stone in a SINGLE WEEK of being poorly. For someone with a body similar to Hayley's, this can be quickly evident and might be a source of anxiety for them. Instead of commenting on physical appearance, Hayley suggests instead discussing the personalities and habits of the people you know. Ask them 'how are you? are you feeling yourself? Is everything okay? are you in good health?' in place of 'you aren't looking good, have you lost weight?' If you've experienced anything similar in your lives, folks, pop a comment below if you're up for sharing and let us know the BEST bit of advice you've received from someone else in these moments. Folks, as always, for more information on my practice then visit my website: Together we make a difference. - Sheila McMahon /episode/index/show/5aa24499-6bd0-4cae-9e0b-63e8196c673e/id/29477638

Ep6: Body Confidence and Self Shaming with Mel Ciavucco 01/14/2024

Ep5: Childhood Experience and Translating Trauma with Adrian Basford 12/29/2023

Ep4: Men's Mental Health with Malcolm Bembridge 12/29/2023

Ep4: Men's Mental Health with Malcolm Bembridge Hi folks, Today we bring you a conversation with Mal, an amazing advocate for men's mental health and a true accomodater of his own. Malcolm acknowledges the importance of space, recognising signs of issues, documenting changes, and having another go at things! Now, usually I'd let you watch the episode spoiler free but some of the concepts covered here are so incredibly important, folks, that I feel the need to list them here! (Or, more accurately, get my podcast guy Ben to note them down when he uploads this!): Malcolm suggests talking to others and recognising the difference between sympathy and empathy. Although you may not be able to put yourself in someone else's shoes, you may be able to recognise the detrimental outcomes it may have on them. Learning to listen before responding is important. mal also mentions being open! Speak to others. tell them if you're not in a good place yourself and cannot listen right now. Some techniques Mal mentions: journaling and reflecting on WHY things are happening. Can't sleep? Journal down your feelings and talk about the why as well. That way you're looking at causes, not the symptoms in isolation. learn to leave your phone. sometimes the digital world is overwhelming and we all need a break. Set aside time to leave the phone in another room. Speak to your bosses. Don't let yourself burn out - they're people too and they will accomodate your feelings in those times of need. counselling is not for everyone? That's not Mal's opinion. Mal talks of his VERY negative experience with a counsellor and how he was ignored. keeping an open mind allowed him to seek help elsewhere later in life. The experience with the person was not great, but the next one was perfect. Remember to look for trained and registered counsellors. This is usually where I tell you to watch part 1 and 2 on my channel, however as a christmas gift I'll be giving you two whole episodes this month! Keep an eye out for the second mental health interview on my channel or on your podcast feed. For more information on my practice then visit my website: Together we make a difference. - Sheila McMahon /episode/index/show/5aa24499-6bd0-4cae-9e0b-63e8196c673e/id/29258273

Ep3: Children's Mental Health with Gill Turner 12/14/2023

Ep2: The Impact and Management of Dementia with Matt Clay 11/28/2023

Counsellor Convos with Sheila McMahon

TOPICS