It's the weekend, so let's talk about something totally unrelated to work, periods!! 

Just kidding. 

Periods are very much related to work, and health and wellbeing.  If you were flying the flag for Mental Health awareness on Thursday, you cannot ignore periods today. 

And you know I like a story by now, so let's start with this one.  

Once upon a time, way back to 1990, a 10 year old girl (me), started her periods.  

She was told by the teachers not to discuss it with any other students, (as we hadn't yet done the session where the girls go to one classroom to put tampons in a glass of water whilst the boys are in another classroom putting condoms on a banana), but, she also had to ask permission to use the teacher's toilets whenever she had a period as they were the only ones with a sanitary bin. 

Trying having to ask to use a teacher's toilet and NOT having everyone ask what's going on with you.

From this very first period, the little...

In January 2013 I started to experience a lot of physical pain.

Then came food intolerances and allergies, more pain and more discomfort.

For the next 7 months the pain would worsen to the point of me passing out, once on a train, and once from the top of the escalator at Liverpool St Station from the street to the station, and numerous times in between.

Hospital admittances were regular, more tests, no signs of anything physically wrong with me, and no time off.  I'd work from my hospital bed or from home if I couldn't do the two hour commute each way to London and back.

In July, I had two operations in 4 hours, and only when I went for my follow up appointment was I asked my stress levels.  I replied by saying I wasn't experiencing any stress.

I was a 32 year old HR Director, spending four hours travelling, at least 12 hours a day working, mum to 12 year old twin sons, wife, daughter, leading a team of 43, in an organisation of almost 4000, working on at least 15...

It's August, I'm enjoying a month off and having some down time and creating some headspace.

September always feels like the start of a year for me. 

It's that back to school feeling. 

My birthday.

And with the last three months of this year including the official launch of the Burnout Club, the rebrand of the Burnout Club, the launch of F*ck Burnout, a couple of trips and some big speaking gigs, some new qualifications and training and a new policy liaison group role, it's going to be a busy end to the year.

So why is now the time to reduce my prices?

January marks my 11th anniversary of being self-employed and so much has changed during that time, but perhaps the biggest, is that I no longer want to create an empire, and I'm slowing down a lot of my corporate work to focus more on coaching and the growth of the Burnout Academy and Burnout Club.

The Burnout Academy training and accreditation is creating waves rather than ripples of change, and I'm seeing this and the...

When I share my story and experience of Burnout, I'm often asked whether I would choose Burnout based on what I know now and where I am now in my life.

And the answer is always no.

I've made some really stupid decisions in my life, I've cocked things up royally, and I've done some stupid things. 

I'd do a lot of things very, very differently if I had to do them again, but I don't regret them. 

I know that changing any of these things would have changed the direction of my life in some way, so I wouldn't change them.  I can use them as learning.  And some of them I can now laugh about.

Whilst I've made my peace with my Burnout, and I know I wouldn't be doing what I'm doing now if I hadn't experienced it, I would NOT choose Burnout to be where I am today.

If I could go back and change it, I would.  And if I could go back and stop it, I would.

Burnout has given me a lot.

It's made me realise what's really important in life.  It's given me work with...