LionHeart Talks

1.1 Overwhelm and Burnout

Mon, 25 Sep 2023 08:31:59 +0100

“Sometimes it’s about getting through the here and now, before we even start to look at strategies to move forward in future.”

LionHeart host Melissa Gough-Rundle is joined by support officer and qualified coach Clare Davis to talk about the huge issue of overwhelm and burnout we see time and again among the surveyors we support.

Ever feel like you’re sliding backwards down a hill – even though you’ve been giving it everything you’ve got to climb up it? We talk about:

The physical and mental symptoms of overwhelm and burnout
Short and long term effects of doing it all
The ‘I don’t know where to start’ syndrome
Recognising when you are overloaded – and how LionHeart can support surveyors who don’t know where to start to make things better

Useful links:

How we can help with stress management

Check out our Supercharge Your Wellbeing recorded webinar

1.2 Social Anxiety

Mon, 02 Oct 2023 10:52:02 +0100

“Social anxiety is a fear of social situations; the bottom line is a fear of being judged negatively by others. That anxiety can be so overwhelming it can essentially stop people from living their lives.”

Around 1 in 8 people are thought to struggle with social anxiety, making it one of the most common anxiety disorders. Much more than being a few nerves in new situations or feeling shy among new people, it can have a very debilitating impact on people’s everyday lives, careers and professional development.

LionHeart host Jo Grant is joined by our counsellor and CBT therapist Berni Antoniou, who describes how something that often begins in teen years can go on for decades – and how the coping mechanisms people put in place become ‘maintaining factors’ that actually keep the problem going.

Join us to hear:

How therapy can help people identify negative thought patterns and reframe them
How using relaxation or calming techniques like mindfulness can begin to break the habits of a lifetime
Why putting yourself in the situations you’ve been avoiding for so long is the key to managing social anxiety

Useful links:

Find out more about LionHeart counselling

Watch our short recorded webinar, Understanding Anxiety

1.3 Fear, Failure and Disappointment

Fri, 06 Oct 2023 15:15:38 +0100

“The APC is a long journey, and there’s a lot riding on the one-hour assessment that you get after two years. That’s why it makes up such a large proportion of the calls we get around fear, failure and disappointment.”

LionHeart host Melissa Gough-Rundle is joined by our support officer Ben Halpin to talk about some of the issues in his day to day work on the LionHeart helpline and longer term work supporting surveyors at all stages of their lives and careers. The fear, failure and disappointment he sees is often triggered by work – and in particular, the huge career milestone that is the RICS APC – but can equally apply to other interviews, presentations, bids for promotion, or indeed aspects of people’s home lives.

Tune in to hear:

What LionHeart is doing to support APC candidates
Why nerves are part and parcel of key career moments
How fear can hold you back
Being resilient to overcome failure
How coaching can help change someone’s approach and mindset

Useful links:

Find out more about LionHeart’s APC Support

Watch our Wellbeing for APC Referral recorded webinar

1.4 Grief and coping with loss

Mon, 16 Oct 2023 08:28:03 +0100

“We all experience grief and loss at some point in our lives. But we all experience it differently and it’s important to stress there are no rules about how you should feel or when you should feel it.”

LionHeart host Jo Grant is joined by our counsellor Mark Hodson as they discuss grief and coping with loss; something that sadly affects every one of us but can still be immensely difficult to talk about and can have long-lasting consequences.

We talk about:

Grief as a natural response to loss
Whirlpool of grief theory and the different elements to the grieving process
Factors that affect grief
The importance of self-care

Useful links:

How we can help following bereavement

Watch our recorded webinar, Understanding Bereavement in the Workplace

1.5 How to cope with change

Mon, 23 Oct 2023 10:21:02 +0100

“Everything changes all the time so you can cope with it - but sometimes it can be like a rolling stone gathering moss.”

Some of us love it and some of us hate it, but change is part of life. LionHeart host Jo Grant is joined by Tracy Evans, one of our support officers, to talk about the myriad of changes any of us can face throughout life – and change can impact on our health, wellbeing and confidence.

We talk about:

Some of the changes people are experiencing when they contact LionHeart
The impact of being resistant to change on our wellbeing
How we can move more successfully through change
How LionHeart can help when you are struggling to cope with change

Useful links:

Read our blog New Beginnings and How to Embrace Them

Watch our recorded webinar, Creating a Positive Mindset

1.6 Difficult situations at work

Mon, 30 Oct 2023 08:34:14 +0000

If things are tricky at work then that has a habit of spilling over into your own time, having a negative effect on your wellbeing and giving you the dreaded ‘Sunday night feeling’. The most difficult situations can impact your own confidence and even lead to stress and burnout.

LionHeart host Melissa Gough-Rundle is joined by support officer and qualified coach Clare Davis to talk about the various difficult situations, especially in the workplace, that surveyors sometimes contact us about, and the help and advice LionHeart is often called on to offer.

We talk about:

Stepping up to a promotion or managing a new team
Handling tricky colleagues or workplace politics
Finding time and space to get clarity – and the confidence to approach conversations you’d rather not have
Planning for difficult conversations
Recognising when one of your team is struggling – and the reasons that might be behind it

Useful links:

Find out about LionHeart’s one-to-one coaching and how it can build your confidence

Watch our recorded webinar, Introduction to Mental Health Awareness

Time to Talk

Fri, 26 Jan 2024 08:22:25 +0000

LionHeart Talks… It’s time to talk!

“I wish I had talked to you six months ago.”

Talking is huge. Talking can change lives, or even save them – but it doesn’t have to be about the big conversations, the little connections are so important too.

So many of the people we help say they wish they had talked to us sooner, because talking about a problem really can help relieve the burden.

In this special episode for Time to Talk Day, LionHeart host Jo Grant is joined by our support officer Ben Halpin and counsellor Mark Hodson to talk about… well, talking! More specifically, we discuss:

The importance of talking about mental health
Starting a conversation about mental health – if you’re worried about someone
Having a conversation – what to do when someone wants to speak to you about their mental health
Talking about your own mental health and the benefits of speaking to someone you don’t know, like a professional support officer or counsellor
How LionHeart can help

Useful links:

Find out more about LionHeart’s talking therapies and counselling

Watch our Introduction to Mental Health recorded webinar https://vimeo.com/905170164

2.1 LionHeart Talks... Alcohol and dependency

Mon, 06 Jan 2025 10:11:01 +0000

LionHeart Talks… Alcohol and dependency

January is often a month where people reassess how they drink, after the festivities of Christmas and New Year or perhaps because they’re doing Dry January for health reasons or even for charity.

LionHeart host Melissa Gough-Rundle is joined by our ambassador Paddy Phillips to talk about alcohol and how it fits into people’s lives, from the habitual and social to the more problematic and unhealthy.

We talk about:

Drinking as a part of British culture – but more specifically where it fits into the world of surveying
Paddy’s experience of alcoholism and nine years being sober
The reasons people might decide to go dry – whether that’s for January or for good
The “sober-curious” industry that’s growing up around low-alcohol and no-alcohol
Adjusting to a new normal

Useful links:

Find more resources and how we can help on the Alcohol page on our website

Read Paddy’s full story in his blog, How alcohol almost cost me everything

2.2 LionHeart Talks... What to do if you've been referred

Mon, 13 Jan 2025 08:09:00 +0000

LionHeart Talks… APC Referral

“If you’re not kind to yourself, this is where the APC goes wrong for a lot of folk.”

Sometimes it’s not about your surveying knowledge or technical expertise but how you approach the APC mentally that can hold the key to success – or not.

LionHeart host Melissa Gough-Rundle is joined by our ambassador John Tierney who knows only too well how the career milestone can take on a life of its own, having taken five attempts to get chartered.

We talk about:

The vicious cycle of APC and referral, and how to break out of it
The difference that LionHeart was able to make to John’s journey
Why you should channel your inner football manager before you sit your APC…
When to ask for support (spoiler: don’t wait until your 4th referral!)

Useful links:

Watch our recorded webinar, Wellbeing for APC Referral

Find other useful tips and resources on the LionHeart website

2.3 LionHeart Talks... Stress in the Workplace

Mon, 20 Jan 2025 07:58:07 +0000

How many of us have had that dreaded Sunday evening feeling, where your evening is totally over-shadowed by the thought of going to work the next day? People experience stress in different ways but there’s no doubt that prolonged or extreme stress at work can have a huge impact on your physical and mental health.

LionHeart host Jo Grant is joined by ambassador Derek Carter who - one Friday the 13th - experienced such worrying symptoms that it was initially thought he’d had a heart attack. It wasn’t until a doctor asked him, ‘do you think you are stressed?’ that the jigsaw pieces fell into place.

We talk about:

· The many different signs and symptoms of stress

· How to spot stress – and how to help yourself

· The part that employers can play in addressing sources of stress

· What helped Derek

· The support LionHeart can offer

Useful links:

How LionHeart can help with stress management

Watch our recorded webinar, Avoiding Burnout

2.4 LionHeart Talks... Imposter Syndrome

Mon, 27 Jan 2025 08:04:32 +0000

“At some point I’m going to be found out – I’m such a fraud!”

An astonishing number of people (up to 70% of us!) have secret feelings of ‘imposter syndrome’ at work at some point: feeling like a ‘fraud’, that they don’t fit in, don’t deserve to be where they are, and that one day someone will discover they’ve been winging it all along. Sound familiar?

LionHeart host Jo Grant is joined by our ambassador Emma Snipp, a chartered surveyor turned coach, to talk about what imposter syndrome is – and what it isn’t – and why so many people in the property industry are affected by it.

We talk about:

The five key ways imposter syndrome shows up
Why imposter syndrome is more common later on in your career and, ironically enough, the higher up the ladder you go
How to recognise the four Ps: perfectionism, procrastination, paralysis and performance
What you can do to stop secretly sabotaging yourself
Stretching the comfort zone (while avoiding the hot lava!)

Useful links:

Watch our recorded webinar, Beyond Imposter Syndrome

Find out more about LionHeart coaching

2.5 Lionheart Talks... How talking beats the stigma

Mon, 03 Feb 2025 08:05:08 +0000

5 LionHeart Talks… How talking beats the stigma

[Trigger warning: this episode contains references to suicide and suicide prevention]

The fear of admitting you’re feeling vulnerable can magnify problems no end. Worst case scenario, bottling things up can even make you ill.

In this episode to mark Time to Talk Day, LionHeart host Melissa Gough-Rundle is joined by our long-time ambassador Steve Lees to talk about how opening up and having conversations can be life-changing – and that if we were all a bit more honest about the challenges we face (even in the workplace) we’d all probably be happier and healthier.

We talk about:

Steve’s own past experience of work ‘consuming’ him – to the point he was stressed and anxious
The ‘sliding doors’ moment of being told he had cancer
How that diagnosis turned out to be one of the things that saved his mental health
Changing attitudes to mental health in surveying
How stories in the public eye can help people open up

Useful links:

Read Steve’s blogs, ‘Cancer wasn’t meant to happen to us’ and Starting the conversation around suicide

Watch our recorded Time to Talk Day panel discussion, The Positives of Conversation, here

Find out more about LionHeart’s mental health support

2.6 LionHeart Talks... Gearing up for your APC

Mon, 10 Feb 2025 08:30:22 +0000

LionHeart Talks… Gearing up for your APC

Undertaking your APC and, in particular, getting ready for final assessment can be one of the most stressful, daunting periods of a surveyor’s career, with the need to juggle work, study, revision and home life. So how can you help yourself gear up for that all-important journey?

In this episode, our host Melissa Gough-Rundle is joined by ambassador Roy Albert, who became chartered in 2020 despite some hurdles, and is now an APC assessor and mentor as well as an ambassador for LionHeart.

We talk about:

Roy’s own journey from tiny Caribbean island to UK surveying career, and from apprentice to MRICS
Approaching APC and recognising your learning style
The things that are more important than your technical knowledge
The importance of balance and good support
Mocks, mocks, mocks – and why it’s better to be uncomfortable in a mock than the real thing!
How LionHeart and the APC ambassadors can help candidates

Useful links:

Read Roy’s blog, If I can do it so can you: an APC journey, on the LionHeart website

Find out more about LionHeart’s APC Support

S3 special 1 - LionHeart Talks...Coping with Grief

Thu, 27 Nov 2025 08:12:49 +0000

Every single one of us will lose a loved one at some point in our lives, but the impact of grief is something we still don’t talk about very much – which can leave someone who’s been bereaved feeling very isolated in their feelings.

In this first of two episodes to mark Grief Awareness Week, LionHeart host Jo Grant is joined by ambassador and surveyor Claire Martin and LionHeart communications manager Hayley Draper, who share their experiences of loss and the grieving process.

We talk about:

· Claire’s experience as a young widow and mum to a three-year-old

· What anticipatory grief is like

· How losing your parents – even as an adult – can leave you feeling adrift

· Some of the surprising things about grief

· Supporting children through loss

Useful links

How LionHeart can support following bereavement

Watch our recorded webinar, Understanding Bereavement in the Workplace

S3 special 2 - LionHeart Talks... Grief in the workplace

Thu, 27 Nov 2025 08:13:09 +0000

Every year, millions of UK employees experience bereavement – astonishingly, around a quarter of the workforce. Yet almost 60% of those felt unsupported at work following their loss. Despite bereavement being something we all experience, it seems workplaces and colleagues are not always well-equipped to offer support and are often not sure what to do or say (or what not to do or say).

In this second of two episodes to mark Grief Awareness Week, LionHeart host Jo Grant is joined by ambassador and surveyor Claire Martin and LionHeart communications manager Hayley Draper, who share their experiences of working while dealing with terminal illness and loss.

We talk about:

· Bereavement policies at work

· The importance of flexibility and kindness

· What helped – and what didn’t

· The zigzag nature of the impact of loss

Useful links

How LionHeart can support following bereavement

Watch our recorded webinar, Understanding Bereavement in the Workplace

3.1 LionHeart Talks...Growth Mindset

Mon, 19 Jan 2026 09:35:21 +0000

3.1 A Growth Mindset (& how to get one)

What’s a growth mindset: how do you get one – and why would you want one anyway?!

LionHeart host Melissa Gough Rundle is joined by one of the LionHeart trainers and certified coach Rob Edwards to talk about the difference between fixed and growth mindsets and how we can train our minds like a muscle to embrace new skills and opportunities and make us more confident.

We talk about:

· How growth can be about small wins and improvements

· Why what has been a previous failure can be a source of future strength

· How having a set opinion of your natural abilities and talents can hold you back

· Why consistency trumps having massive goals – and the power of the word ‘yet’

Useful links:

Find out more about LionHeart career support, including how to take a coaching approach

to your development

Find a range of our recorded webinars to support your wellbeing, personal and career

development here

3.2 LionHeart Talks... Neurodiversity in the Workplace

Mon, 26 Jan 2026 08:59:34 +0000

What are some of the biggest barriers to better inclusion at work?

In this episode, LionHeart host Jo Grant is joined by Vanessa Curtis, senior director at CBRE, RICS Governing Council member, and founder and chair of AbilityRE, a non-profit organisation that promotes awareness of disability and neurodiversity within the property industry.

Vanessa’s journey began with her personal experiences of trying to get diagnoses and support for her own neurodivergent children – which would actually later lead to the ‘lightbulb moment’ that caused her to explore her own diagnosis of ADHD as an adult.

We talk about:

Some of the challenges faced by neurodivergent people in the workplace…
… and the strengths and differences they may bring to your teams
Attitudes and experiences around neurodivergence in surveying
What’s behind a rise in the numbers of adult females with ADHD and autism
Things that can be put in place to help (spoiler: it doesn’t have to mean expensive or complicated!)

Useful links:

Check out LionHeart’s Neurodiversity page for some useful resources and to find out more about how we can help

Watch this recorded panel discussion, Embracing Neurodiversity in the Workplace, in which some of the LionHeart ambassador team talk about their diagnoses of ADHD and autism, and the effect on their surveying careers

3.3 LionHeart Talks... Health problems that change your life

Mon, 02 Feb 2026 08:21:01 +0000

“My body was telling me something was wrong – I just wasn’t listening to it.”

Sudden, serious health events that happen seemingly out of the blue can change everything, mentally and physically. Our host Jo Grant is joined by LionHeart ambassador Amol Bhatnagar MRICS as we talk health problems that change your life – something around 1 in 10 of the cases we support each year have in common – and how you can learn to accept and embrace that not everyone is given a second chance.

We talk about:

Amol’s chest pain that he thought might be down to rich Christmas and New Year food – but led to him being whisked to hospital for surgery
The tell-tale warning signs he’d overlooked, including the stress he’d been under working for his own limited company
Recovering, emotionally and physically
Life changes Amol has made, and his advice for others in a similar situation

Useful links:

Watch this recorded Men’s Health Month panel discussion, in which Amol and other LionHeart ambassadors talk about men’s health and wellbeing, from the physical to the mental

How LionHeart can support through ill-health

3.4 LionHeart Talks... Youth counselling

Mon, 09 Feb 2026 07:24:20 +0000

The feelings of helplessness when you realise your child is struggling with their mental health are like no other. The worry can be all-consuming, especially if you’re not quite sure when and where to get professional support, and can impact the whole family.

LionHeart host Melissa Gough Rundle is joined by Carmel Mullan-Hartley and Colette Hartley from our youth counselling partner, Open Door.

We talk about:

Some of the common themes and issues experienced by the young people we support
The lingering effects of the Covid pandemic on our young people’s mental health
The role of the family (from parents to siblings) while their young person is having therapy
What to expect from youth counselling
The holistic support we can give parents throughout

Useful links:

Find out more about LionHeart’s youth counselling service

Watch this series of short explainer videos on common children’s mental health issues, filmed with Open Door

3.5 LionHeart Talks...Letting go of your inner critic

Mon, 16 Feb 2026 08:37:24 +0000

Having your own inner critic is bizarrely not always a bad thing. What was once hard-wired into our brains as a survival mechanism can actually help us to succeed and improve – but only if we use it well.

Our host Melissa Gough Rundle is joined by one of the LionHeart trainers, Isabelle Fielding, who is a coaching psychologist and consultant specialising in working with people and organisations on behaviour change, for this episode on letting go of your inner critic. We talk about:

How self criticism shows up – aka the “vulnerability hangover”
Why we often judge ourselves more harshly that we would anyone else
How, left unchecked, your inner critic can destroy your confidence and stop you from doing things you really want to
Techniques you can use to quell your inner critic (without getting rid of it altogether)
When to consider professional help

Useful Links

You might also be interested in our Beyond Imposter Syndrome webinar recording

Find out more about LionHeart’s work-related support

3.6 LionHeart Talks...Living with long-term health conditions

Mon, 23 Feb 2026 08:00:20 +0000

Around 15 million people in the UK (about a quarter of the population!) live with a long-term health condition, so you’re not alone – although it often feels that way.

Our host Lucy Wright and LionHeart ambassador and surveyor, Derek Carter, talk about what it’s like to go from living a busy, active working and personal life to being told you’ve got a health condition that’s not going to go away.

We talk about:

· The challenges of living with an ‘invisible’ illness
· Joining the dots and getting a diagnosis
· Acceptance (and the spoons theory)
· Balancing the need to be informed – but not falling into the Doctor Google rabbit hole
· The importance of support networks, and how LionHeart was able to help Derek

Useful links:

Find out more about how LionHeart can support people through ill-health

Read Derek’s blog, Living with an invisible illness

Read Lucy’s blog, Learning to go gently

S3 Special 3 LionHeart Talks... Resilience and Mental Health

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 08:00:22 +0100

LionHeart Talks… Resilience and mental health

One month before she sat her APC towards the end of 2020, graduate surveyor Sophie Clarke took her own life.

Although she had experienced periods of anxiety and low moods, there was absolutely no sign just how much Sophie was struggling, and for her many loved ones her heartbreaking decision came like a bolt out of the blue.

In this episode, our host Jo Grant is joined by Sophie’s father Rupert Clarke, also a property industry professional and now founder of the Mental Health and Resilience Foundation, a charity established in Sophie’s memory that her family hope will leave a lasting and positive legacy.

We talk about:

Why is it important to connect the word ‘resilience’ when thinking about our mental health – and what difference it can make
Learning to ride the waves: “Don’t judge me by my successes, but how many times I fell over and got back up.”
Resilience in young people and early career professionals
How better resilience could support the millions of people who struggle with anxiety
The early plans Rupert and LionHeart are formulating to build better resilience within property firms

Useful links:

Find out more about LionHeart’s mental health support, including counselling

Read our counsellor’s blog, Looking after your mental health in turbulent times

Watch our recorded webinar, Moving on from setback or disappointment