“Basically humans just want to be heard and they want to be reassured that it will be okay. And it will be okay. You know, this is something that we do know. We might not know how or when, but it will be okay. And that re-assurance sometimes this is all that we need” Produced by Felix Northover and recorded via Zoom during these incredibly challenging times, we ask the question; what does it take to thrive in a world of both challenge and opportunity and most importantly, how do we build the resilience and leadership skills to get us there. In this unprecedented time of global chaos and uncertainty, now more than ever we, as leaders, entrepreneurs and change makers need to dig deep and draw on our innate abilities to problem solve, innovate and instil a sense of calm, to lead with confidence. We need to get clear on facts; differentiating between what’s real and what’s hype and building common sense conversations around the truth, to make the best decisions for those relying on us. And now, more than ever, we need to bring our focus back to our own mental health and wellness in order to bring our skill sets to the table & to continuing thriving. My guest today is Clinical & Positive Psychologist Dr Vikki Barnes. A graduate of Exeter University, Vikki is an international speaker, with numerous positive psychology accreditations. to her name. She has worked for over 10 years with the NHS and the Virgin Group, founding and leading organisation-wide mental health and wellbeing programmes. She now works as a freelance consultant for individuals and organisations who want to look after themselves and the mental wellbeing of their teams. My conversation with Vikki; rescheduled to Zoom on the first day of the Covid-19 enforced lockdown in the UK, deep dives into Positive Psychology, maximising on opportunities in a time of chaos, acceptance and connection. We also cover your questions: - How do we make decisions, that will affect our teams, when we don’t know the answers ourselves? - What practical wellbeing measures can we put into place to get us through this time? - Does meditation really work? Can it help to boost our immune systems? Huge thanks to Felix and to Vikki for pulling together to get this recorded and out during a time of intense global & personal pressure, and for helping to capture a poignant moment in history. Vikki is currently writing her first book and we look forward to welcoming her back to the podcast, later in the year to talk about it. That’s it for today. Thanks for listening to my conversation with Vikki. For more on the work she’s doing or to get in touch please use the links below. If you enjoyed the episode and have a chance, please rate and review and hit subscribe to keep up with new episodes and pass it along to a friend. I hope you’ll come back next Friday for more and in the meantime, you can check out our coaching sessions and previous filmed episodes at www.exetereal.com Dr Vikki Barnes LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/vikki-barnes-26a389100/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/drvikkibarnes/ Twitter - https://twitter.com/DrVikkiBarnes Exeter Real Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/exeterreal/ Web - www.exeterreal.co.uk Felix Northover Web - https://www.felixnorthoverphotography.com Interested in sponsoring the podcast? Please drop an email to tracey@exeterreal.co.uk