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.

The past two years have been like no other. The business has been turned on its head and workers have had to rethink the accepted norms multiple times, through multiple lockdowns. The sudden shift to remote working interrupted childcare, and widespread job losses in certain industries have led many workers to rethink their lives and careers. This has contributed to the much talked about great resignation. In just one month last year, almost 3% of the workforce left their jobs, the highest number on record. In the UK, the situation was just as stark with the number of open jobs surpassing one million for the first time.

People who don't think like you help you make better decisions.

Only a handful of people are naturally talented at public speaking, and even fewer genuinely love it. As a result, most people regard the practice of preparing and giving speeches as difficult, uncomfortable, or even boring. Regardless, some level of public speaking is required in several lines of work. You may be instructed to deliver a speech in a private meeting, provide a status report for the whole organisation, or speak at a summit or some other event. Whatever it may be, or however intimidating it may seem, there are measures that can be taken to make preparations and develop your skills.

While hearing the term 'icebreaker' may make many employees want to run for the hills, team building is an important activity for startups to utilise.

Modern working can come with a certain amount of pressure. However, following the pandemic, increased working from home and the blurred boundaries between home life and work life, some employees are becoming increasingly overworked.

Recent statistics indicate that over one in three UK workers see burnout as an evitable part of their career. This, combined with the challenges imposed by remote working, the rising cost of living, and a new world of “living with COVID”, have made it more important than ever before when it comes to the strategies employers have in place to support the wellbeing of their staff.

Have you ever considered running a recruitment business? We caught up with Alex Dick, Managing Director of Alexander Lyons Solutions, who had some thoughtful advice regarding what you need to know if you do. 

Research released by all-in-one HR, benefits and payroll platform Employment Hero has found that British small businesses are facing a rocky road ahead as only 40% of employees feel fairly paid for their work and over half of the workforce have a work-life balance that is average or poor.

In cooperation with the University of Vienna, Arcletic developed a new technology to measure mental performance. Now they bring these mental trainings from elite sports to all high performers smartphones, as a gamified freemium app.

Neurodiversity Celebration Week begins next week from 21 – 27 March is in the UK, a time dedicated to challenging the biases and misconceptions that surround neurodiversity.

What is a startup? Within my four years of working in the startups industry and community, this may be the question I have been asked the most. However, being completely honest, I don’t believe there is an exact answer.

Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, often referred to as ADHD, is a condition that affects behaviour, it can lead to a lack of concentration, hyperactivity, restlessness, and impulsive actions. ADHD is commonly identified in childhood, especially at times of transition when symptoms can become more noticeable, such as the start of a new school.

We all know that a healthy lifestyle benefits us in the long run, but we rarely think that exercise can increase our work productivity today. The secret to the beneficial effects of exercise is that new, unfamiliar physical activities cause our brain to wake up and get out of automatic mode. This article will be helpful for those who want to become more successful in their work, increase concentration, relieve stress, strengthen memory and other cognitive functions.

My copywriting business launched when I was going through treatment for cancer, back in the spring of 2015. It was both the perfect and worst possible time to set up. 

Having spoken to thousands of founders and businesses over the years working at Startups Magazine I have quickly learnt that it takes a certain type of person to become an entrepreneur and really pursue growing a business. 

As we enter a new year, and hopefully a more normal year than more recent ones, we wanted to take a look and see what the sector might bring us this year and what trends we maybe graced with in 2022. We spoke to a few names in the entrepreneurial world to ask about their 2022 predictions. 

With a new year comes a new set of exciting opportunities, as well as challenges for every business - meeting set targets and goals, as well as improving organisational strategy and productivity. However, the mental wellbeing of employees and workforces shouldn't be left to the wayside.

A new platform designed to improve the health and wellbeing of employees has announced its plans to raise £1m for charities across the UK in a bid to truly make exercise count.

At CES 2022, innovation within the healthcare industry was at the forefront of many conversations, seminars and exhibitors stands.

Workplace wellness has come under the spotlight in the last few years. Now, a vast number of people are looking beyond the traditional methods of coping with stress and embracing other ways of relaxing, unwinding, and recovering from intense pressure.

With the Omicron variant appearing to have peaked in the UK according to the ONS, research from Infogrid, the smart building platform, has revealed that nearly a third of working Brits (32%) want to return to their offices in January because they feel it would improve their mental health, which has been impacted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.   

The idea of Blue Monday (17th Jan) has persisted in culture despite it now being widely dismissed as pseudoscience and a clever PR trick. It suggests that our fears and anxieties culminate on one specific day, when in reality they fluctuate throughout the year.

Winter is here, and so is a higher chance of catching the common cold, flu, or norovirus. As we spend more time indoors, we’re more likely to be exposed to germs and transmit infections to one another. 

Hiring the best talent for your startup is an essential step towards building a sustainable organisation. There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to hiring. Just imagine the skills and competencies required across the industries, the business models, and the various functions within your company.

As a business owner, your wellbeing and ability to deal with the demands of your company is inextricably linked to the wellbeing and longevity of your business.

With COVID-19 rapidly altering the nature of the workplace to one that's more digital and flexible, the debate about the future -  and the purpose - of the office continues. As society adapts to post-pandemic life, businesses need to figure out how to accommodate their employees’ desire for flexibility while navigating all the difficulties that come with the lack of regular in-person contact with their team. Hybrid working appears to be the solution, but comes with its own challenges.

Sufferers of chronic illness or those with disabilities are afforded a fair level of protection in the workplace under UK employment law. But can the same be said about women going through the menopause, a proportion of whom will endure a number of debilitating and severe symptoms?