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The Festival of Work recently hosted an all star line up of speakers including the incredible Fearne Cotton the force behind the Happy Place Podcast, Katherine Ryan, the laugh out loud comedian and writer, plus my recent GENIUS guest’s Lizzie Penny and Alex Hirst the authors of Workstyle.
Each speaker, delved into the complex and often elusive topic of happiness, their words were a powerful reminder to embrace life’s challenges, find resilience in adversity, and set boundaries that align with our values.
I truly enjoyed each and every talk as they encouraged us all to foster a culture of understanding, empathy, and self-care. As we navigate the complexities of modern life and work, these headline speakers insights offer a guiding light toward a more fulfilling and authentic existence.
Here are the key highlights from their thought-provoking speeches:
Talking About Happiness:
Fearne Cotton opened the conversation by acknowledging the difficulty in determining if we’re facing a crisis of happiness. What’s different now, she notes, is that we’re talking about it openly—a healthy and transformative shift in societal dialogue. The emphasis is on walking towards the discomfort, sharing our struggles with someone we trust, and receiving empathy and understanding.
Embracing Pain and Moving Forward:
Kathryn Ryan advocates for finding deep connections through shared pain. She encourages not getting stuck in the pain but instead examining it, giving it a name, and taking proactive steps to address and heal from it. Forward motion, change, and healing from the past are essential components of the journey towards personal growth and happiness.
Humour in Wellbeing:
A surprising addition to the wellbeing conversation is humour. A key out take from the event is to look for humour in the midst of stress. Each speaker had a brilliant way of highlighting the importance of finding joy even in challenging situations. This refreshing angle to discussions around mental health and resilience, inspired Series 7 of my podcast – How to have fun at work – to be released in January 2024.
Accepting Every Emotion:
The Festival’s speakers challenge the common notion that happiness is achieved through external factors like the perfect partner or a job promotion. Speakers each recounted their success came from discipline in everyday life. There was a real sense of urging us all to excavate our past, accept yourself as you are, and find acceptance and happiness in the present moment.
Leadership and Resilience:
The key qualities of leadership are competence, compassion, and integrity. Resilience, is no longer about being tough but about openly discussing challenges while still functioning. It involves picking oneself up after hitting rock bottom and embracing challenging times without fear of failure.
Prioritising and Facing Challenges:
Acknowledging the impossibility of having it all. The best advice by far is to give yourself a break and prioritise what truly matters. For the Workstyle Revolution, it’s the delicate balance between working the hours you perform at your best and having time with colleagues, friends and family. Finding your most productive hours is key to maintain a manageable and fulfilling life.
The Spiritual Connection:
The future of work touches upon the spiritual aspect of wellbeing. The importance of beliefs, practices, rituals, and feeling connected to something greater than ourselves. The cultures we adopt, share or build in life and work will guide us in the right direction for our individual life phases and increases our feeling of belonging.
CEO and Mom: Navigating Life’s Challenges:
As the first generation to be CEOs and moms simultaneously, Fearne and Kathryn encourage us to lean into self-compassion and acknowledges the challenge of having it all. To prioritising work and family, Fearne’s top tip is switching off from everything else, feeling out of the loop but empowered to manage.
What You Can Learn in a Fish Bowl
In the final talk of the festival, “How You Can Engage Learners Using New and Creative Coaching Approaches” Perry Tims, Founder of PTHR, unexpectedly transformed the talk into an engaging Fishbowl experience. Breaking away from the traditional format. Perry gathered participants in a circle and prompted them to step up and share their expertise on the topic. Eager to contribute, I emphasised the importance of leaders embracing vulnerability. As it fosters a safe environment for regular discussions, sharing learning challenges, and celebrating successes. Perry’s fresh approach not only enriched the final session but also highlighted the value of creating mini masterminds through open dialogue and shared experiences.
Over to You
I hope you take some inspiration from this post to create a lifestyle and workstyle that aligns with your values.
Drop me a message with your thoughts at hello@carolinekay.co and let me know; what will you take forwards to embrace challenges, find resilience, and set boundaries?