Mental Health In Recruitment - The Podcast

Having just celebrated her 23rd year in the Industry Lysha Holmes has experienced many highs and lows.

When it comes to her mental health, however, it’s the focus on the job and running her own successful Rec2Rec that’s kept her afloat and grounded when life around her has become chaos. 

Mental Health management wasn’t a thing for Lysha until she hit her 40’s.  

When her husband and partner of 17 years and father of her 2 daughters came out and told her he was gay, her world fell apart.  

At the time, Lysha had just set foot on a path to sobriety.  When her husband moved out and the need for self-care became apparent, she knew she would never drink again.  

She went on a painful journey yet made the decision that she was going to be okay. 

In this honest and thought-provoking episode, Lysha talks candidly about her journey and about the importance of self-care.  She also shares what sobriety means to her and how it has impacted both her physical and mental health.


You can connect with Lysha here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lyshaholmesr2r/

An experienced and high performing technical recruiter Michelle Flynn was money motivated and fiercely driven. 

She never would have considered herself stressed, it wasn't a word that she knew.  She was someone who was the epitome of success and did whatever it took to get the job done.

It wasn't until she collapsed with a suspected heart attack and needed emergency medical attention that she knew something wasn't quite right.  

Her body tried to get her to sit up and pay attention yet she still wasn't taking the time to listen which led to a more serious collapse 3 years later. 

The result of that second episode led to a complete lifestyle and purpose overhaul along with a passion for healthy others listen properly to what their bodies might be telling them. 

We talk about Michelle's journey and the valuable work she now does in the industry in particular the importance and value of supporting our people and ourselves for not only better mental health but better business performance.


You can connect with Michelle here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelleflynn/

James Osborne is known in the recruitment industry as the Co-Founder of The Recruitment Network, he is also widely known for his relentless energy, eternal optimism and a genuine desire to help people. 

James is one of these people that consciously lives life to the max.  

He wasn't always this way.  

In 2005, his baby son TJ, passed away.  It was an indescribable loss and a life-changing moment for James and his wife. 

TJ was their first child and represented hopes, dreams and aspirations for a future they were building.  Losing him left a very deep emotional scar.  

In this episode, we discuss however the experience fundamentally changed James, and how he made a commitment in memory of TJ to live life to the full.  To impact people's lives and to make a real difference. 

This is an honest account of how good things can and do come from heartbreaking situations and how the choice we make in responding to what's going on around us can make such a huge difference. 



If you are affected by this episode please reach out to the Rainbow Trust for support:   https://www.rainbowtrust.org.uk/

You can connect with James Osborne here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/innergy

Chris Stringer is the Owner of That Recruitment Company and has worked in the industry since 2006.

He has suffered from Anxiety for as long as he can remember and accepts it as a part of who he is and how he's wired. 

As a leader Chris understands that Mental Health is individual and personal, not everyone is the same. 

In this episode, we discuss the reality of the condition as well as the impact on people around you.  This is an honest conversation with someone that tries to make a difference whilst understanding that they are not always the easiest person to be around.

We also talk about losing much-loved team member Ben Briggs in July 2020 to a Complex Brain AVM that rocked both the business and Chris as a leader.

This is an insightful look at authentic and vulnerable leadership with a man who knows he is on a journey that's not always within his control.

You can Link with Chris here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisstringer
Find out more about The Butterfly AVM Charity here: https://www.butterflyavmcharity.org.uk/

If you are affected by anything discussed in today's episode please click here: https://www.mentalhealthinrecruitment.org/are-you-okay-mental-health-support

Chris Hart spent 30 years keeping everything inside.

The life and soul of a good night out, he was the highly sociable friend that went out of his way to talk to and support others when they were struggling.

Having suffered from intense social anxiety throughout childhood, nobody would have guessed that behind the carefully placed mask Chris had created, he was battling with his own intense feelings and depression.

Conversations were never about Chris.  He became an expert at deflection, and over time, created a master who excelled at hiding what was going on beneath the surface.

In this episode, we look at one man's journey and behaviour, including what happens when three decades of buried emotion starts spilling out uninvited.

Now an active mental health advocate, Chris gives is an insightful and honest account.  We learn about Borderline Personality Disorder and that although the idea of asking for help is terrifying, speaking out and speaking openly can change your life.

You can connect with Chris here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrismhart/

Additional resources:
UK https://www.mentalhealthinrecruitment.org/uk-support-directory
https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/borderline-personality-disorder-bpd/about-bpd/
 

Warning: This episode contains strong language and detailed content relating to mental illness.  Some listeners may find this upsetting.

Scott Ransome has worked in two extremely tough industries where rejection and setbacks are commonplace. 

He experienced success as a professional actor before joining the recruitment industry and he truly understands how self-care can be hard to prioritise when we mistakenly think we're 'doing great'.

Scott had his first manic episode at the age of 24.  He was subsequently diagnosed as being Manic Depressive (now Bi-Polar) and has lived and worked with that condition ever since. 

Despite necessary periods of hospitalisation and recovery, he has successfully worked in the recruitment sales training space for over 20 years.

He is charming, kind and humble.

He is also an addict, gratefully in recovery.

Scott understands more than most that though he is not responsible for his disease, he is responsible for his recovery.  He is still here and driven by a duty of care he feels towards the people he has trained, coached and mentored throughout his career in recruitment and beyond.

With a steely passion and determination to help others. He is an example of strength and bravery, showing us that Mental Health and caring about Mental Health is not weakness. 

This episode is an enlightening, no-holds-barred account of what it is to be, as Scott coins it: ‘poorly’.  We also look at why we should pay more attention to the manic highs and not just the lows of those suffering and why we need to do better as an industry to support our high performers.

You can connect with Scott here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottransome/

Additional resources:
UK https://www.mentalhealthinrecruitment.org/uk-support-directory
Whysup https://www.whysup.co.uk/
https://www.bipolaruk.org

Warning: This episode contains strong language and graphic content relating to suicide.  Some listeners may find this upsetting.

Ryan Armitage is a successful recruitment business owner who watched the brother he loved and worked alongside suffer and battle drug addiction.

He desperately wanted to help him and supported him as much as his brother would allow.

Tragically Tom took his own life. His brother was the person who found him.

Ryan gives a profoundly personal, inspiringly honest account and talks very openly about his complex grief, offering practical advice and insight.

In a conversation filled with sadness, there is also laughter, and we also discuss how important it is as a Business Owner and Recruitment Leader to support your people.


This episode is released to coincide with World Suicide Prevention Day 2020 in memory of Tom Armitage.

You can connect with Ryan here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-armitage-8a9100176/

Additional resources:
UK https://www.mentalhealthinrecruitment.org/uk-support-directory
Whysup https://www.whysup.co.uk/

Richard Edmondson has worked in Recruitment for over 20 years.  Highly successful when he was in the UK and earning the kind of money that many aspire to yet few attain, he seemingly had everything.   One day he realised it wasn't making him happy.

Uprooting his family and moving to Australia gave him a new sense of purpose and meaning yet also meant starting again from scratch and saw him questioning the decisions and choices he had made.

This is Richard's story but it could be anyone's. 

He is the man on the street. 

This is an insightful and honest account of one man's reality.  When your mental health has never been a straight line how do you manage it?

You can connect with Richard here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardedmondson/

Additional resources:
Australia https://www.mentalhealthinrecruitment.org/australia-support-directory
UK https://www.mentalhealthinrecruitment.org/uk-support-directory

Greeshma Suresh was born in India and came to the UK as a teenager.  Being a 14-year-old girl is tough at the best of times yet Greeshma also had to contend with racial discrimination, body shaming and extensive pressure to perform well academically.

Facing racism in the classroom from both students and teachers whilst desperately wanting to live up to cultural expectations and make her family proud, Greeshma lived silently behind a mask not telling anyone what she was coping with.

In this episode, we explore the rollercoaster of what mental health has and continues to mean to Greeshma, how what she has experienced has influenced her career and also her perspective of mental health in the recruitment industry. 

This is an honest, insightful and brave account of pushing back against expectations and values that have been instilled in you in order to nurture your self-worth.

You can connect with Greeshma here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theshortmarketeer/

Additional resources: https://www.mentalhealthinrecruitment.org/uk-support-directory

Caroline Sockett-Oates joins Rhonda to given a very different perspective on Mental Health In Recruitment. 

When she was 18 years old Caroline broke the law.  Despite reassurances, she found herself in prison for a crime that her legal team were convinced would not result in a custodial sentence.  She lost everything. She lost herself.

Already suffering from her mental health she had to face what she’d done, accept responsibility for her actions and make a decision about her future.   Caroline knew she was the only person who could give her the future she wanted.  She refused to allow her past to define who she wanted to be.

How did she cope with the stigma of prison whilst also managing Borderline Personality Disorder, PTSD and 2 other conditions? And do both of these stigmas continue to impact her years later? 

You can connect with Caroline here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ckos/

Additional resources: https://www.mentalhealthinrecruitment.org/uk-support-directory-1