At CogX Festival 2023, Steven Bartlett and Fearne Cotton sat down for a candid fireside conversation to discuss what it takes to build resilience amid today’s turbulent culture, nurturing mental health in the workplace, unlocking your true self, and fostering tools for a healthier and more balanced headspace.

In the world of startups and entrepreneurship, the phenomenon of imposter syndrome is becoming more and more common.

In today's fast-paced world, it's not uncommon to envy others' success. Seeing carefully chosen success stories on social media can sometimes leave us feeling inadequate.

The stats show that more than a third (39%) of women in business find working from home lonely – as indeed I did myself.

Even if employers do not have a dedicated menopause support provider, they may well have more support for menopause than they realise, according to GRiD.

The theme for this year’s World Mental Health Day was ‘mental health is a universal human right’, and with this, it’s vital that businesses not only highlight mental health in the workplace but focus on ways they’re supporting employees.

October is World Menopause Awareness Month providing a great opportunity to expand on the increasingly noisy discussions taking place about this important subject.

Starting a business can be challenging. Uncertain trading conditions can be common with a startup business, and worries about your new venture can take a toll on your mental and physical wellbeing.

A third of SME owners reveal they are surviving on less than 5 hours sleep a night on average, as stress, anxiety and depression cripple small business owners across the country. The recent survey of 1,070 small business owners by small business insurance provider Simply Business has uncovered the full extent of the mental health challenges faced by the UK’s self-employed.

New research has revealed that 70% of autistic people in the UK haven’t been offered professional support. That’s according to Brain in Hand, the digital innovation healthcare company urgently calling for better support for the autistic community.

Mental health is hugely important, both in the workplace and beyond. But with the pressures of increasingly fast-paced work environments, it can be difficult to find time to prioritise our mental health.

The transition from summer to autumn can be difficult to navigate for many of us, as the days get darker, and the weather gets colder. The change in seasons will see 3 in 10 adults experience Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) over the coming months, a form of short-term depression that typically affects people more so in the winter than summer.

Amid market pressures and seismic changes to how we work, business leaders are putting more focus on productivity than ever before. In fact, new data from Asana based on 3,000 UK and US leaders reveals some leaders are prioritising improving productivity in their organisations over securing revenue.

Sick building syndrome is an elusive health condition – we have a limited understanding of it, other than its core symptoms and that it’s most commonly developed by poor office environments.

To mark Happiness at Work Week on the 25th of September, a new study by UK-based Virtual Business Assistant firm, and champion of positive workplace policies, SpareMyTime, reveals which European countries prioritise employee wellbeing. They have found that Norway is the best country in Europe for work-life balance, with low-income inequality and workers less likely to work long hours than their European counterparts.

A recent study has revealed that as many as one in three small business owners have previously experienced burnout, and more than half (56%) reported poor mental health over the last 12 months.

Towergate Health & Protection has released figures from one of its leading employee assistance programme (EAP) providers, which show the extent to which counselling helps employees with mental health issues.

RedArc, the nurse-led health and wellbeing support service, is highlighting that a focus on connectedness can be a key way to prevent the incidence of suicide, and ahead of World Suicide Prevention Day, it believes employers and insurers should consider building this message and support into their communications and provision.

Continuous price rises on necessities, swiftly evolving ways of working, and geopolitical conflict have many members of the workforce struggling with mental health. Employers are uniquely positioned to support employee wellbeing—employees spend the majority of their waking hours at work during the week, and 70% trust their organisations to provide them with help in times of need.

A recent Microsoft survey has confirmed the suspicions of the working world. Burnout among employees has reached the level of an international crisis, especially fast-paced, high-pressure roles like sales. Here, Ross Slogrove, UK and Ireland country manager at VoIP phone system provider Ringover, explains how using technology effectively can alleviate burnout and reduce pressure in target-driven business functions.

In the relentless whirlwind of modern life, the importance of self-care often takes a back seat. Yet, it is a vital practice that can not only preserve your mental wellbeing but also save your life. The understanding and consistent practice of self-care form the foundation of a healthy, balanced existence.

Successfully navigating the challenges of running a startup demands a collective effort. As a tight-knit team, you’ll often lean on one another for support to manage the inevitable ups and downs. But this pressure can take its toll on wellbeing.

If you’re yet to hear about the Lazy Girl Job trend, then perhaps you’ve been working too much and not spending enough down time scrolling the internet. This new movement has gained popularity quickly and for good reason.

Tips from workplace psychologist, Dr Lynda Folan, Managing Director at Inspired Development

Talking about your mental health with your boss can be a difficult conversation to have, but it can be worth the effort if you’re struggling with your wellbeing.

As a founder, there are various hurdles you will go through, but that doesn’t mean you need to overcome them on your own. There is help out help there to elevate your business and point you in the right direction. Business mentors come in different forms but recruiting one that suits your business needs and personality can greatly enhance you as a founder and make your business, stand out. Here are the six signs you need a business mentor to lead you to success.

Amelia Sordell, Founder of Klowt, the personal branding agency, and Hustle Awards judge, started her business in a small corner of her bedroom in the middle of a pandemic. Now, the business is getting ready to move into its fourth office in less than three years with a plan to reach £20 million in revenue by year seven.

thymia, a healthtech startup building gamified AI tools to revolutionise how we assess and monitor mental health, has announced a $2.7 million seed round to expand the reach and capabilities of its pioneering technology.

I am Iona, a Highly Qualified Psychology Expert, Author and International Master Breakthrough Coach, helping entrepreneurs and business leaders to break out of the box of conformity and to live a life of passion, purpose and prosperity.

Envy is a common emotion that can be triggered by a variety of factors, such as seeing someone else with something we want, feeling like we’re not good enough, or are not given the same opportunities for different reasons or being reminded of our own shortcomings. While envy can be a fleeting emotion, it can also become a more persistent problem that can negatively impact our self-esteem and well-being.

Many of the best, most innovative, disruptive, creative, successful companies are founded and run by people who are really good at what they do. People who have spent a long time honing their craft and becoming the ‘expert’ in their field.

Your personal wellbeing should be one of your highest priorities in life, although in the UK, the percentage of adults in the UK that reported very high levels of life satisfaction has decreased over the last year, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Employers are not providing the health and wellbeing support they themselves believe their employees want and need, according to new research from Towergate Health & Protection. The research took place among UK companies of all sizes and all industries across the UK. Directed at the employers, it asked what health and wellbeing support they thought was most important to their staff, and what they actually provide.

Every year, an estimated 12 billion working days are lost across the globe as a result of depression and anxiety. Not only does this bring a deep mental cost to those suffering, but it has a direct knock-on effect on businesses to the tune of $1 trillion in lost productivity.

Do you allow flow in your working day and take time away from the screen to connect with nature?

Over 60% of Americans wake up feeling fatigued and sluggish every morning. While there are many things responsible for this, one cause that rarely gets recognised – or addressed – is mental clutter.

Starting a business is tough, growing it and scaling it even tougher.

So how can smart time management help you and your business grow?

Resources.

Being part of the LGBTQIA+ community, I know first-hand the unique pressures and challenges that being LGBTQIA+ in the workplace can bring. This is why I am now so dedicated to creating psychologically safe workplaces.

While the relationship between wellbeing and performance of employees is often discussed, the mental health of leaders can quickly take a back seat in the face of challenging times. 

In today's fast-paced and ever-changing business landscape, startups are increasingly turning towards the transformative power of flexible work solutions as a fundamental driver for growth and success. As the founder of a virtual assistance agency that values flexibility as core to our model, I've personally experienced the benefits of embracing flexibility in the workplace.

Are you pioneering a startup or purchasing a budding company? Prepare for many years of intricate taxes, late nights, hiring, firing and emotional upheavals. That’s alongside lovely customer connections, soaring profits, and increased self-confidence.

As a founder, you are the driving force behind your business. Particularly in the beginning, the lines between non-work and work life become very blurred, with all of your available time and energy consumed by juggling the myriad roles and responsibilities which fall your way.

In the seventh season of our How To Start Up podcast – the entrepreneur’s ultimate handbook – we’ve been focusing on founder health and wellness.

Acas has launched new advice for employers on managing stress after a third of British workers (33%) believe that their organisation is not effective at managing work-related stress.

For years there have been discussions about mental health first aid becoming a legal requirement in the workplace, but no Government to date has implemented a policy.

For busy, hardworking, and ambitious entrepreneurs, finding balance is key to thriving in all areas of life, but it is also one of the biggest challenges.

The world has changed, whether we like it or not – and it’s time for businesses to change with it. But at least one old adage remains true: “People join a company, and they leave a boss”.

Responding to statistics from TravelPerk, which revealed that 58% of employees believe in-person meetings are important, global workplace creation company, Unispace, has warned that the younger generation will be impacted if the ‘return to the office’ battle between staff and employers is not resolved soon.

The Startup & Small Business Success Coach shares how mastering both margins and mindset reduces stress for startup business owners.

As a leadership and wellbeing coach, founders often ask me to help them remove stress from their lives.

Employees who are dealing with burnout will struggle to be productive and you may even start to notice issues such as more sickness absence, errors being made, poor performance and a lack of engagement.

Stress is the ultimate multiplier: it manifests in so many, often imperceptible ways. As human beings, we each have individual triggers and a whole swathe of vulnerabilities to it. Stress is hugely personal.

Stress is inevitable in entrepreneurship; managing finances, handling uncertainty, and other pressures are parred for the course. Yet learning to manage stress is an important learning curve for any entrepreneur and eventually makes for an all-around better leader.

As an entrepreneur in this ever-evolving era, managing stress is essential in order to maintain a healthy and productive mindset.

Do you ever set yourself goals? Or are you winging it all the way?

As a highly experienced business coach and mentor, I am passionate about enabling entrepreneurs (particularly women) to build and grow profitable, happy businesses through banishing stress, overwhelm and procrastination and by using proven business strategies and methodologies, together we build the business that they want.

Holistic Therapist, Helen Totton, is a spiritual mentor, intuitive healer, and meditation expert.

The law on flexible working could soon be updated.

As someone who specialises in supporting others to reduce stress, I found myself in an epicentre of stress as an entrepreneur: with a growing team and a growing client base I took on the responsibility for everyone and came close to burnout before I went back to basics and started applying what I knew.

We all have the right to feel safe! William Kahn, Google’s ‘Aristotle Project’ and Amy Edmondson’s research have catapulted the term Psychological Safety into our consciousness. It is now being talked about in workplaces around the world – and rightly so!

As success continues to surge across all brands of the Nicky Story Holdings group, 31 year old, Nicky Story, who is on track to turn over £20million, shares his journey to success, and it’s not been as lucky and stress free as some may assume!

The stress that comes with entrepreneurship is familiar to Oshoma Zekeri, having experienced the ups and downs. In this article, he will share his personal experience on stress management techniques for entrepreneurs, raising capital in a stressful business environment, funding in a cost-of-living crisis, and solutions to save money as an entrepreneur.

The birth of my first daughter, Sloane, had prepared me well for the many sleepless nights I’d spend with my second daughter, Isla, when she was born 13 months later. However, I never thought, as Isla turned two at the end of March 2023, I’d still only be sleeping two-four hours a night.

Entrepreneurs are often under tremendous pressure to succeed, especially during the cost-of-living crisis.

UK business travellers reveal that whilst COVID added limitations to business travel, there are mixed feelings now travel is back.

Tuesday 11 April 2023 is World Parkinson’s Day, and a timely reminder to employers that staff working overseas require more support with chronic conditions than their UK-based colleagues.

In 1921 Napoleon Hill, author of ‘Think and Grow Rich’ wrote the ‘Magic Ladder to Success’.

As the cost-of-living continues to rise, small businesses are feeling the impact. From inflated costs to increased employee wages, businesses are struggling to keep up with the ever-increasing expenses.

Stress in the workplace is a common issue, with 79% of the workforce saying they frequently experience it and 13.7 million working days are lost to it each year in the UK, costing the economy £28.3 billion annually.

According to a new survey, nearly half of UK bosses have seen an increase in workplace mental health issues.

As we approach International Women’s Day, it seems like an appropriate opportunity to discuss menopause in the workplace. Menopausal women are the fastest growing demographic in the workforce, with 8 out of 10 menopausal women in work.

Private limited companies are often led by a single director who is also sole shareholder. However, without a succession plan, problems could arise if that sole director shareholder dies.

As the times move forward, so do the workplaces we inhabit. In the modern workplace, it is often not the older generation of workers that act as its foundation but instead the new fresh minds coming through the doors, pioneering a workplace’s growth.

Global HR and payroll specialist, ADP, urges UK businesses to review their recruitment processes as the UK workforce shifts irrevocably due to impact of the pandemic and the fourth industrial revolution. Otherwise, they might struggle to compete on a global stage.

Moving home can be a stressful time. It’s exciting to think of the new possibilities and different opportunities, but it comes with its own set of challenges.

Less is more, someone wise once said. And with the world’s biggest trial of the four-day work week underway in the UK, many entrepreneurs and start-up directors are asking the same thing: could we do the same work in less time? If the idea of dropping a day makes you lose sleep, fear not! There are many ways to help you be just as productive- and maybe even more- with a shorter working week. 

A first of its kind prospective cohort study into the impact of digital self-management in helping to support autistic adults has revealed a significant reduction in anxiety, self-injurious behaviour, and memory and orientation problems.

New research from FDM Group reveals the most in-demand tech skills, to help spruce up your CV and stand out from the crowd. 

Recoverlution, the world’s first all-in-one recovery platform, has announced a series of partnerships to support the one million people in the UK and 10 million globally in recovery from addiction. The announcement, which coincides with International Recovery Month and International Recovery Day (30th September), is supported by ex-footballer and recovering addict Paul Merson who is an ambassador for Recoverlution.

The survey of 1000 UK SMEs, conducted by Funding Options and Censuswide, found less than half of business owners are 'very confident' of surviving the next six months (42%)

Hospitals, doctors and other healthcare professionals are expected to provide a certain standard of care but what happens when care fails to meet this standard? Or when an error is made resulting in harm or injury to a patient? In this article, we’ll take a closer look at what medical negligence is and discuss some of the factors that make you eligible to make a medical negligence claim.

In the wake of the Great Resignation, employee retention is increasingly becoming a priority for employers. With a study finding that toxic workplace culture was the main influence in people leaving their jobs, employers and managers must prioritise the cultivation of a safe and positive working environment. 

Sustainability is a term that’s gained considerable traction in the world of construction over the last few years. When we build things, it’s worth building them in a way that can be sustained over years, with minimal impact on the environment.

Home working is an increasingly popular option for workers in the UK. An initial spike in uptake of remote working occurred as the coronavirus pandemic forced businesses to adopt remote working technology; however today, many workers still prefer a full or partial home-working agreement over working from an office full time.

But there are concerns regarding the relative productivity of workers at home as opposed to the office. While the numbers suggest that home workers are largely more productive, it is true that office environments are more purposefully designed for productive working. What can you do as a home worker to improve your home office space for productivity?

The new novel by Aaron William Perry is now available everywhere.

Today, every penny counts, but saving month over month can be challenging. If you’re struggling to save money, you may be unaware of the factors impacting your financial habits. A recent survey by SoFi revealed surprising correlations between the personal traits and economic patterns of over 1200 respondents. The purpose of the survey was to uncover trends in cash-back credit card users vs. debit card and cash users. However, the study also discovered that age, gender, relationship status, and other personal traits could impact your financial habits and ability to save. Here are some of the most exciting finds of this survey and what you should consider when trying to save money month over month.

The hydra of scandals, lawsuits, and controversy has many heads, but Mark Zuckerberg continues to effortlessly sever them all as he bulldozes through the tech world, determined to get Meta into the same VIP booth atop Mt. Olympus as Apple and Google, and he claims to have found his holy grail – AR (augmented reality) goggles.

Many companies find themselves in the midst of change now. The post-Covid economy and other megatrends are creating new business models and transforming industries and offerings at a rapid pace. When faced with change, some companies stubbornly maintain their paths, while others embrace it and seek to evolve.

Even before the pandemic, purpose-centred businesses were beginning to see how they could marry their ambition for profit alongside their environmental, social and governance targets. The pandemic lockdown stopped most people from travelling and helped to develop other methods of meeting clients such as Zoom.

Vivo Surgical, a pioneering medical device company based in Singapore, has become the first start-up to win the prestigious WIPO-IPOS IP for Innovation Award for 2022. Now in its 10th year, this award celebrates Singaporean companies that have achieved outstanding growth through the successful application of intangible assets and intellectual property. Over 40 organizations have received this highly regarded accolade since its inception, with this year’s criteria centered around adaptable and resilient companies emerging through recent global challenges.

Just 18% of employers provide urology support for their male employees according to research from digital health platform Peppy.

Suicide is preventable. Employee benefits can and do help to prevent suicide in many ways – from providing access to mental health support such as counselling, to help with debt and money worries. However, employee benefits can only help if they are utilised and appreciated.

On the one hand, remote working allows cancer patients to continue to work during their treatment and rehabilitation (if they so wish). Being able to work as and when they feel sufficiently well enough without needing to commute and without having to ask for workplace adjustments can make this a lot easier for employees.

It used to be easy to know when you were at work and when you weren’t. You were either present at the workplace doing work – or you weren’t. Now you might well be in your kitchen presenting the most important pitch of your career.

Nearly eight in 10 employees in tech startups attributed a lack of career development opportunities as the key reason for leaving their job, according to a new report by tech startup recruiters, ISL Talent.

A new study has revealed that business leaders and founders across the UK are at risk of burnout and putting their employees at risk by failing to set wellbeing goals alongside their other business goals.

The prospect of working as a digital nomad – doing your job from anywhere with an internet connection – is an appealing idea for many UK workers, so much so that Google search volumes for ‘becoming a digital nomad’ have doubled over the last year.

Starting a business is a very personal journey and one that requires absolute attention and effort. Entrepreneurs often create businesses that reflect who they are as a person – meaning that personal habits and motivations can commonly creep into business proceedings. However, it’s important to ensure that you recognise when you are doing something for the benefit of the business or yourself because these lines can become blurred when you are at the helm of a startup.

I wanted to write this article for you if you’re a budding entrepreneur who wants to be in charge of your own destiny. Maybe you’re craving that feeling of creating something from nothing. Or perhaps you just want that sense of freedom: taking holidays when you like, doing only what you love and dialling your earnings up and down as much as you please.

23-year-old MedTech start-up founder, Moises Barbera Ramos, attributes his childhood playing team sport as the reason why he has created his own support network while founding his own business, Drill Surgeries.