We Are PoWEr Podcast
The We Are PoWEr podcast spotlights voices and perspectives that need to be heard. Our weekly podcast, with listeners in over 60 countries, delivers PoWErful conversations that inspire, challenge, and empower... from personal life stories to business insights and leadership lessons.
We share diverse experiences, bold discussions, and real solutions. Whether you're looking for career advice, topical themes, or stories of resilience and success - this is where voices spark change.
We Are PoWEr Podcast
How ADHD, Loss And Empathy Forged A Purpose-Driven Leader
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Trigger Warning: Themes of mental health and suicide
On this week's podcast episode we sit down with Kirsty Collin, Global Head of CRM at Gleeds, who talks about her path from undiagnosed ADHD and dyscalculia to global client listening leader and Lead of Women at Gleeds. Grief, burnout, boxing and everyday kindness shape Kirsty's story and ongoing resilience.
We dive into the love and loss of her partner Ben, the diary entry that changed how she shows up for strangers and the choice to tell her story so others feel less alone. She unpacks burnout that was misdiagnosed as depression and the practical moves that helped her.
What to Expect:
• Kirsty's ADHD and dyscalculia story
• Navigating grief and healing
• Turning hardships into a positive
• Burnout misdiagnosed and neurodivergent signals
• The effects of menopause with ADHD
• Launching Women at Gleeds and building ally culture
• Boxing wins, TV nerves, and showing up as yourself
Find out more about We Are PoWEr here. 💫
Hello, hello, and welcome to the We Are Power Podcast. If this is your first time here, the We Are Power Podcast is the podcast for you, your career, and your life. We release an episode every single Monday with listeners in over 60 countries worldwide where you'll hear personal life stories, top-notch industry advice, and key leadership insight from amazing role models. As We Are Power is the umbrella brand to Northern Power Women Awards, which celebrates hundreds of female role models and advocates every year. This is where you can hear stories from all of our awards alumni and stay up to date with everything MPW Awards and We Are Power.
unknown:Everybody's wonderful.
SPEAKER_00:Well, hello, and today I am joined by a quite simply awesome Kirsty Collin, who is the Associate Director, Global Head of Client Listening and CRM. I can just hear you going, hello. And the lead to tell me. And the lead for women at Cleans. Kirsty, welcome to the studio. Welcome to the TUS. It's amazing. I know it's cool, isn't it? But this is not your first time in front of TV cameras, which we'll come to later. But for anyone meeting you for the first time, what three words would you use to describe your three words?
SPEAKER_02:And I always say, this is my pattern. I swear to God, I always say, I hate asking this question because I will be rubbish at answering. You know, it's payback time with all of your listeners. Oh, so three words. Wow. Um, impulsive, um, positive. And oh gosh. Um, empathetic. Nice. I like that.
SPEAKER_00:And one word on its own that would describe your career adventure. Wild.
SPEAKER_02:I don't know how I got here.
SPEAKER_00:There you go. And we actually we are as we have entered now the lunar year of the wild horse. Yes, we have. This is your year. Definitely my year. The year of the snake is gone and the wild horse. But you have you talk about that, you uh dragging yourself through school. Yes. Um how did the early diagnosis because you you because you had also undiagnosed ADHD?
SPEAKER_02:Yes. So um, so yeah, so it's late diagnosis, so only um kind of in the last, God, I think it was last four years that the diagnosis has come about. Um, but yeah, school, um, God, it was awful. And you know what? My mum spoke to me um a couple of weeks ago, and she says to me, and the sincerity when she says it, she's like, I'm just so happy that you kept going because she hated it for me. She just wanted me to get through. Um, you know, now I look back, you know, I thought differently. Um I'm, you know, it's ADHD that I've been diagnosed with and dyscalcular. Um, so you know, at the time on with the dyscalcular more so, I used to say to people, I'm number dyslexic, I'm number dyslexic. And everyone's like, oh my god, that's not even a thing. It is. Is that dis is that is that what it is? Dyscalcular, yeah. So what do you see?
SPEAKER_00:How does that manifest?
SPEAKER_02:Um, numbers just don't hold any value to me. Um, they, you know, it's and it's not just numbers, it's about kind of timekeeping.
SPEAKER_00:Kirsty time. I know cursed time.
SPEAKER_02:So distance, you know, before we had kind of ways and Google Maps, you know, trying to get somewhere on time. Um, my ex-husband used to always laugh to me, and he had a bit of a theme tune of uh cursed, imaginary traffic, because I just used to go, we need to go at this time. So I'd always be the first person at a party. Um, so I wasn't late as such. I was always like really early and sat outside. But then in my later years, and I think once peromenopause hit, it's gone the other way as well. You know, she had cursed your time factored in today.
SPEAKER_00:So But how have those superpowers shaped you to be the leader and role model that you are now?
SPEAKER_02:Um, so I think my it's my impulsiveness that has led me to where I am now, as well as the kind of empathy, all the words that I kind of said to you at the beginning. Um, and they were still are in in some respects my superpower because you know, no one had any expectations about me when I was younger. I always, you know, mentioned this story about my dad buying me um Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing for my amiga. And even at a young age, I was kind of like, why is why is he getting me to learn to type? And you know, thinking, does he the aspirations for me not really there? You know, I've got two older brothers, you know, one was a quantity surveyor, um, you know, both of them very academic, whereas I I just wasn't. So I think I even at a young age, you know, being aware of that kind of lack of aspiration for me just meant that I was gonna just go and do it anyway. And my mum always says that, you know, I will go out and um do what I need to do and and kind of push myself forward. So one day um I was due to go to college to do my GMVQ in travel and tourism because at that moment I wanted to be a travel agent. Um, and then one day I was just like like puss in boots. I was like, come on, let's go and work in Manchester and go to the city out of uh my small town of Wigan, and then that was it from there, and I just kind of you know moved moved to the city and and got into different roles and kept finding my way to where I am now.
SPEAKER_00:What helped you bounce between those roles or find the the path?
SPEAKER_02:I think it was the people that saw things in me and believed in me and kind of saw the things that I didn't, or maybe I did, but was too afraid to kind of believe, maybe. Um so yeah, so I think people believe in me, giving me opportunities. I've had a lot of male mentors over the years who've kind of seen seen um potential in me and yeah, and giving me that kind of confidence to go forward and and try new things and learn new things and and yeah, get to where I am today.
SPEAKER_00:And you qualified as a uh project manager, but you stepped away from that because of the culture?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, um, it was kind of 2008, it was it was before I had children, and yeah, being on site as a woman, that's not fun. And it wasn't fun. Um, you know, things have changed, but sadly I still hear the same kind of things. You know, it was one of them where I would be wearing PPE, which was way too big for me. So, you know, trogging down to site, looking like you're wearing your dad's clothes, you know, no female toilets. Or if there was a toilet, it'd have a mop bucket in it. Um, you know, not being taken seriously, not being listened to, being spoke over in meetings, all those things that you hear that you think are cliche, but they're not, they're real. And I think I could have stayed doing that role and kind of fought it, but it just made me realize that I had stronger skills elsewhere in my listening, my kind of empathy and all those things, which then led me into the kind of customer satisfaction, client kind of listening role.
SPEAKER_00:And do you think was that something because you said, you know, dragged yourself through school? Um, but did you always have those skills they just weren't unearthed because they didn't fit into the school curriculum?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, yeah, absolutely that. And yeah, I think that's it. I think if they had um a GCSE in emotional intelligence, I'd have based it. Um, you know, it's just, yeah, those, and I was great at English, I was great at writing, um, you know, creative writing and and things like that, which is something that I do use now, not creative because it's it's things that clients do tell me, but I write reports and I do like writing. Um, so that helps in the in the job that I'm doing now.
SPEAKER_00:And what advice would you give to your 13-year-old Kirsty now?
SPEAKER_02:Just to believe in herself and try new things and not be afraid of what other people think, um, which is really difficult because I've got a 13-year-old, no, she's not 13, she's 15. Sorry, Izzy. Izzy. I've got a 15-year-old daughter, um, and my son as well, you know, he's he's 12. And I I try and instill in them not to think too much about what other people think about them, but it's it's human nature, and you know, and it's it's hard. But yeah, just just go for it. Try anything, you know. I've that impulsiveness in me has led to me being on first dates, it's led to me being an undefeated boxing champion. It's it's led to so many things for my inability to say no.
SPEAKER_00:And and we will come back to those. So you can't just throw that in. Boxing champion, TV star, you can't just throw them in like that, Kirsty. We'll be back for that. But you you know, you talk about the empathy, you talk about the listening, but you've also been very open about your personal lived experience. Yes. Grief, unimaginable grief, yeah. Um burnout, menopause, but Ben. Yes, yes, Ben. I remember the first time I came to meet you. Yeah, and I looked at, you know, did a good check-in out first, you know, and uh and I came over and I'd read I'd seen these two articles that you'd put about your partner Ben. Yeah. Um do you mind sharing just a ad?
SPEAKER_02:No, um, yeah, so um Ben was my partner, we we lived together. Um, he's not the father of my children, or you know, he um he struggled with his mental health um quite a lot, and you know, sadly um we lost him to suicide in January 2020 after um a long battle. Um yeah, awful to kind of go through. Um and part of my healing was kind of sharing and talking about it, and and not so much Ben's story because that's his story, um, but my story about being the person left behind and trying to navigate um a new life and a new cursty as well, because you know, the the cursey that I was pre-28th of January 2020 to the cursey that I am now is is completely different. I wouldn't be sat here in front of this microphone prior to to what happened. So, yeah, so horrific, horrible. I wish it hadn't have happened. But as Ben had said to me when, you know, there were attempts previously. Um I remember having a conversation with him when he was saying he didn't want to be here anymore, and I was just like, What will I do? You know, I you know, I need you. And he was like, You were one of the strongest people I've ever met, and you will get through this and you will survive. Um, and you know, I I didn't believe it then, and now I look back and I think, oh God, you little rascal, you were you were right. I've turned it into something positive, um, even though obviously I wish it hadn't have happened and then it was still here today.
SPEAKER_00:And I remember from our first meeting, uh, I remember our first, it wasn't a meeting, was it, in the end. It was it was a a rather just gorgeous experience of coming across this amazing open human. But I mean one of the things that I took away was and forgive me for paraphrasing, you know, but you talked about Ben wasn't just Ben who took his life. Yeah, we had so much fun. Yeah, we did. That was not, it wasn't a lot, and that's what you wanted to people to know.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, because you know, it was when people looked at us from social media and things like that, it was it was like a fairy tale. We um we lived, we loved, we laughed, we had an amazing time, we went on trips, we we did lots of things, and the mental health struggles were always there. I was always aware of them, but they didn't, I always say they made up 10% of our relationship and our life. Um it was a big 10%, but you know, it wasn't everything that it was about. So we we had some amazing times, made some amazing memories. Um, you know, and you can tell that from the amount of photographs that, you know, I'm able to share and look back on. And the other thing is as well, that's kind of led me to getting to a point where um I can deal and and kind of move forward from it was and and I always talk about this, is that Ben wrote a diary on his final couple of days. So he went missing um and travelled um out of the country. Um, and it was three days or four days till till he eventually took his own life. And the diary um had everything that I needed in there um for closure or not even for closure, for moving forward. So um, but one of the things I always make reference to is that he wrote in there when you know he was in the depths of despair and feeling how he was feeling, but he wrote in there that despite him travelling from a house in Newton the Willows to Amsterdam, then up to Hamburg, visibly upset, nobody asked him, was he okay? Um and that's awful, you know, and and as another human to see a human upset and not ask if they're okay. I don't know why people didn't, and you know, I don't think it will have made a difference, but for him to have written that in his diary when he's at a point of you know where he was, it just always kind of sticks with me. And you know, I think we're often worried or scared to ask people if they're okay. Um, but I think it, you know, we shouldn't be, we shouldn't get caught up in our own overthinking our thoughts and feelings, and we should do it. But do it with empathy and mean it as well.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. And you talked about what was in that diary, but you also talked about saying I wouldn't be here today if that hadn't happened. Now, what did that unimaginable loss and grief, what did that lead you to to do?
SPEAKER_02:Well, it led me to to talk, to share, to kind of I didn't want anyone feeling like I felt. I think that was the main thing. I didn't want it was kind of there was lots of different angles, me talking about it. Kind of I tried to hit. So one was if someone was feeling that way, that they wanted to end their lives, that they feel like they're a burden. They're not. There was never a time when I felt like Ben was a burden, ever. Even though sometimes when you're struggling with depression and things like that, that's how you feel. It's not a reality. I think the other side was to um help people who were going through it to not feel like they were alone and give those people a voice as well. Um and then, like I said, for me as well, for me trying to to fathom and understand what was going on. Um I wrote some blogs and um when I used to write them, and this is when I really started to realise that you know the ADHD, I wanted a little bad that I had ADHD. So I would kind of sometimes I'd wake up in the middle of the night and I would sit up and I would write the blogs, and they would come out perfect, grammar, everything, but I didn't need to edit them or change them. And then I would put them out there, and then what I would do is keep reading them. Like I would read and read and read it and read it. I'm not even joking, I could read it like 50 times. And you know, when I was in therapy, I I mentioned this, and it was trying it was my brain trying to understand and kind of process what had what had happened and what was happening to me. And and yeah, I always find it really weird. I'm like, why am I doing this? And then kind of keep reading them. But it was it was the way that my brain needed to process. So so it was multifaceted the the reasons that I started to talk, and you know, I was never confident, I wouldn't I would have been ermine and you know, not having uh confidence in in using my voice, but now I can and do.
SPEAKER_00:And you've become a serial advocate in many respects, haven't you? You know, and and this is we've talked we talk a lot about you talk about I wouldn't be here and I couldn't be here because I would doubt myself and I I was reading and reading because I almost keep doubting it. Um you know how we like to give, you know, everything has to have a label, doesn't it? But like imposter syndrome. Yeah did you feel like that was is that what you thought? Um did that come later?
SPEAKER_02:Well I think there's always been a part of that me kind of questioning, like I've said on here today, you know, how have I got to where I've got to? So, you know, but that I think comes from ADHD and and you know, I don't want to use all these kind of acronyms and things, but the rejection sensitive part, that's been the worst part of ADHD for me. The biggest part, I would say, the the negative part, whereas all the rest have managed to turn into positives. But yeah, um I I kind of I guess I thought before all this, why would people want to listen to me? What, you know, what have I got to say? But actually, it turns out this can of worms that's been opened, I've got a lot to say about a lot of things.
SPEAKER_00:What was the trigger for you getting the um getting diagnosed getting the diagnosis?
SPEAKER_02:It was I felt vulnerable with it. Um there was a part of my job that I couldn't do anymore, which was to do with the report writing, um, just specifically within the kind of client listening aspect. Reports that I could do with my eyes shut previously. Um, you know, it was easy for me to do, but now I've dug around a little bit. It's to do with um, it's to do with my nervous system, first of all, but that association as well, because I remember at the time my dad was going through a horrific kind of psychosis and was he was sectioned at the time that Ben left us, and at that time as well, I was really, really, really busy with work. I'd just done a trip to America and I had loads of reports to write up, loads of them. And I was trying to do them as my dad was going through what he was going through, as Ben was going through what he was going through. So there's a bit of an association there. So, in true kind of ADHD form, I was trying to figure out why I couldn't write these reports. I would literally sit there and I couldn't do it. My brain will just not allow me to do it. So at first I thought it was trauma, and then as I kind of was coming through that and I still couldn't do it, and then I thought it was peramenopause, and you know, then started on HRT, and then I still couldn't write these reports. Um, but then it turns out it's it's you know, it's my nervous system protecting me. So that association of of those there and it and to do with the ADHD, it just led me to get a um a diagnosis. I just I think I felt like it was going to impact me at work, but actually work have been really good about it. They've been brilliant, so it was a protection mechanism for me to get that diagnosis.
SPEAKER_00:And you've had uh just back end of last year uh a little run in with burnout as well.
SPEAKER_02:So um, yeah, it's not my first time um with burnout. It now I can kind of look back and now I've got that diagnosis. It's happened to me, um, I would probably say a severe. This was the worst, this one that most recently. Um, but previously um I've had burnouts, and it's been one of them when I've gone to the doctors and they've gone, oh, there's some antidepressants, you're you've got depression and anxiety. And I'm like, really? Okay. So I'd start taking the antidepressants, I'd take them for the six weeks, and then I would feel worse, and I would couldn't do anything, couldn't get out of bed, and then I'd go back to the doctor. Oh, it's because you're depressed. And wait a minute, I wasn't depressed in the first place. Double the dose. So double the dose, I'd start taking them for about a week, and then I'd be like, no, this isn't for me. And that was ADHD, that was burnout. Um, and I was never depressed, and I was never, you know, anxiety was probably built in there. But um, so yeah, it's it's something that kind of happened, happened, and it's frustrating now because on my like life life insurance and health things, I can't get covered for depression, and I don't think I've ever been depressed. I've never had clinical depression, but I've had ADHD burnout, which has been misdiagnosed, and it's it's really hard. I think people who don't understand burnout would probably say, well, just relax, just do this, or don't let it happen. Yeah, meditate, breathe, do all these things. I'm very aware of everything that I need to do, but you can't stop it because with ADHD, your brain is going like the clappers 24 7. You know, I can't go to sleep at night without having a noise to kind of silence the voices. Um, it's really hard. And, you know, I've come back from burnout, so it was this one was pretty, this was the worst I've ever had, and I think that's the effects. Of perimenopause and my ability to mask, which has just completely disappeared, which is fascinating, but you know, it's not that handy when you know you need it. Um and I've come back from that burnout and I feel great, but I'm going at 200 miles an hour and I can't stop it. I can't, I cannot stop. And it you know, my mum's always like, Oh, just you know, stop doing this and just drop some of these balls. Which ball do you want me to drop? Which one? Because you know, I can't drop being a mum, I can't drop my job. You know, there's certain things that I've just got to do, especially as a single mum. But um, you know, it's all on me. Um and yeah, so it's it's difficult.
SPEAKER_00:But who does? You've obviously got your family, yeah. But who who outside of family calls it out or has your back?
SPEAKER_02:My best friend definitely, um, she sees she sees when I'm kind of getting there. I think one of the the measures for me when people know that I'm on the verge of bur burnout or I'm getting that way, is that social media. And I get to the point I'm like, I need to go off social media, and I feel that that is because my head is so noisy, and it is really noisy. And during this burnout recently, I thought, oh my god, it was awful, it was it was very noisy. Um, and because social media is noisy, that's a controllable for me. So then I just kind of get to the point where I'm like, right, I can shut that noise off. I might not be able to shut off the noise up here, but I can shut that noise off. So that's always a measure for me. Um, shoulder pain is another. My physio, she's very good at spotting it as well. So we always get shoulder pain. Um, so that's yeah. I'm always like, I've got frozen shoulder. It's not, it's never frozen.
SPEAKER_00:And all this happening when you have amazingly launched women at Gleeds within the organisation, yeah, which is this is not just a little something. This is this is Kirsty, go big or go home, right? Isn't it? Um Let's go global. Or you're a global organization, like you know, decades year old, you know, much needed, yeah, right?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Um what does what does it look like in five years' time? What have you impacted?
SPEAKER_02:Um that it's a culture, um, that we don't have to have women at Gleeds, you know, that's what I I would like.
SPEAKER_00:Do yourself out of a job, right? Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_02:Exactly. Um, and you know, and it's really interesting because I have set a strategy and for us to, you know, that that to be five years. And interestingly, a couple of men, it was it was definitely men, it wasn't women, kind of questioned, are we being ambitious enough with it being five years? And I'm like, okay, you know, how many years is it till this global parity? Is it 134 years or something like that? You know, and I want to do it in five. I mean, if we do it in three, great, that's you know, brilliant. But you know, we have got a really good culture. I love Gleeds, I really do. Um, we have it's a great organisation, the culture is brilliant. You know, one of our values is um professional with personality, and yeah, I mean that's that's you that should be on your t-shirt, tote bag, the whole cursey range, isn't it?
SPEAKER_00:How much of Women at Gleeds was inspired you, you know, coming at it through a dual lens of being a single parent?
SPEAKER_02:Um yeah, it's cut it's come from lots of lenses, I think. Um yeah, there's there's multiple lenses that this has come from. It comes back from that time of being on site when I was a project manager. It comes from being a mother, a single mother, a working mother. Um, it comes from, you know, me having hormones and then and then trying to leave my body, you know, this it's multifaceted and it but it's not just about the women, it's not a women's only group, it's about the men as well, it's about those allies. And you know, I've had a lot of men in my life that have helped get me to where I am today. Uh, you know, senior people in the business, um, my dad, you know, my brothers, you know, it's it's it's you know, it's it's important. So it's not just about me, you know. I think people have this view that I'm coming in on my Trojan horse going, women are here, we're taking over, you know, all that kind of stuff. But it's not, it's just about how we do it together, how we work together. It's not woman's problems are solved, right?
SPEAKER_00:You need we always talk about, haven't we? We've had this conversation when it's collect the good guys. Yeah, yeah. Always about collect the good guys, and then guess what? Yeah, we can get done quicker, right? Yeah, exactly. Yeah. Now you dropped in right at the start. Three-time undefeated charity boxing champion.
SPEAKER_02:I don't even know.
unknown:No.
SPEAKER_00:You know when you give a you know when your mum's going, right? You just want to give one of them things up. Yeah. Was that when you only had 25 things in the air, right?
SPEAKER_02:I don't again, you know, I had this thing where people will ask me to do something, and I would say yes, no matter what. You know, people pleaser, rejection sensitive, all that kind of stuff. Another ADHD trait that, you know, has put me on a path that I'm often like, how the hell am I here? Um, so yeah, so I found myself in a boxing ring. The first fight that I had, I raised so much money because everybody thought I was gonna get my head kicked in. I thought I was gonna just, there was no way you were gonna put me in that ring. And, you know, my fight name was the smiling assassin. I, you know, people know I was in training and I would say sorry every time I hit someone. It was just, oh my god. A little likely, a little likely. Yeah, you know, the girl that I was fighting, I saw her just before we we went into the ring and she was trash talking me. And you know, when I first saw her, I was kind of like, oh ha, oh no, and she's like, you know, I'm gonna mess you up. I'm like, all right, okay. Turn off the noise, turn off the noise. Um, but then, you know, I I remember being stood waiting for the my ring song to come on, which even that made me crazy. Which was oh god. Prodigy smack my bit jump. Oh my god, even that made me feel uncomfortable. Did you pick it? Yeah, trying to like, you know, g myself up to get it. Oh my god, you know, it should have been sunshine and lollipops, but you know, they're the ones with Prodigy's Mat my bit jump. And um I remember being stunned being stunned just before I went on.
SPEAKER_00:Sorry, producer Calvin has lost the plants in the studio right now. I'm just putting it out there. Um, but yeah, so I um Rob better picture, Calvin.
SPEAKER_02:Um so yeah, so I remember because I'm such a feeler and I I struggle with adrenaline and you know, when I used to talk for work, I'd be shaking, and the adrenaline used to really like consume me. Um and I remember being studd just before I got in the ring and like looking down at myself and going, where's my adrenaline? Like, where why am I am I not shaking and panicking? And I was cool as a cucumber, I scared myself. I got in there and I was like, it's like I had a Sasha Fear, I had an alter ego who got in that ring and did what needed to be done. And the first fight was over in one minute 45, but she felt so bad. She was in the corner with a bloodied nose and with the uh with the St. John's ambulance. Um, so yeah, so that was the first fight. I didn't do it again for another 12 months. Um, had my second fight that was over in the second round where her team threw the towel in. And then the week after, um I yeah, I went for my third fight, which was a third, third round uh finisher, yeah, KO. So brilliant. Like literally, I just yeah, I don't yeah, I I just yeah, I feel like that myself.
SPEAKER_00:I need to know actually what would be your alter ego name. Oh, I don't know. You go after that's something we need to think about that. Oh my god, called me Sunchannel lollipop, so maybe it is.
SPEAKER_02:Bad bitch.
SPEAKER_00:But there you go. There you go. Just keep it in the So you also mentioned about being on TV. So not only have you been in the ring, uh, you've been on the dated TV show as well. What was more nerve-wracking? Because you actually said there was no adrenaline going into the boxing ring. No, there wasn't. But when you came in here today for the first time, you're like, oh, it's like being in the sh in the studio again.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, it also reminded me straight away coming in in here. I was looking for the uh love heart behind me. Yeah, but yeah, I think the probably the first dates was more. Um the adrenaline was probably going for that more because yeah, I mean, the fear of how you're going to be edited, first of all. That was a real concern. Um, and how I would come across, but I was really happy with how I came across. You know, a lot of people got in contact and was like, it was just you. And that's all I've got. I've not got, you know, I've not got the ability with with how busy my brain is to think about being someone else.
SPEAKER_00:And did the date, was the date successful?
SPEAKER_02:Spoiler. Uh was it not how it is how it came out. Um, in fact, a year ago, pretty much to the day it aired. Um, but yeah, it was kind of half successful, not with the date that I was with on the night, because was it your PT that you got?
SPEAKER_00:You got a PT in. There you go. See?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00:That's efficient, efficient of the PT. No, we've talked, we've mentioned the the dreaded menopause, perimenopause going through this.
SPEAKER_02:How unfair is it?
SPEAKER_00:You're leading globally, you're parenting, you're setting up this new organization or this new sort of uh community. Yeah. Um what do what conversations we still need to be having these conversations in the workplace, right?
SPEAKER_02:We do. Um, you know what? It's been really interesting the last couple of weeks because I think the conversation needs to be had more because the amount of women who I have helped get onto HRT when they haven't realised that they are perimenopausal is unreal. And um, you know, I've got one particular friend, um Becky, who who kind of uses this story all the time because we went on um a trip to Spain, and as we were on this girls' holiday, she knows she's talking about all these things that are going on, and I'm like, you need HRT, your perimenopausal. And she's like, No, but this isn't a symptom. And everyone just thinks it's a hot flush or you get a bit forgetful, or you know, the kind of real mainstream perimenopause symptoms, but there's so many more that people don't realise are you in perimenopause.
SPEAKER_00:And does it manifest differently um when you're neurodivergent? 100%, yeah.
SPEAKER_02:Earlier for starters. Um, you know, it's it's definitely it's because of the um inability to mask, um, that's huge. That's been the most kind of stark part of this process that I cannot believe how much I used to mask. Now I let I kind of look back, but your ability to cope, um, your ability to think, you know, to process. There's just there's so many elements to it which makes it a lot harder when you're neurodivergent, I think.
SPEAKER_00:And you have one mantra in life, isn't it? To make someone's life better. Yes, yeah. Every single day.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:What's the secret to doing that? Because you've already got five million plates going on in the air, by the way.
SPEAKER_02:Um I don't know. I just think there's enough crap out there at the moment going on with all the things. I think you've just, you know, I I just think it's important to make f people feel a certain way each day. I d I don't know, even if it's just telling someone in the checkout that the nails are nice, you know, that response when you see someone kind of visibly change or just be like, oh, you know, we often do the British thing, you go, Oh, these, oh, they're chips, oh, they're new breed doing, or you know.
SPEAKER_00:Or you look nice. Oh my god. I did I did that last week. I was at an event in Newcastle. Just I was I didn't know anyone in the room. I walked up to this lady, she looked fantastic, and I was like, oh my gosh, I love what you're wearing. She went away and went, I got it in the sale. And you just like, well, we do that, don't we? And someone just went, Thank you very much. Yeah, exactly.
SPEAKER_02:It has to be the bargain and it's something, and you know, yeah, it's and you know what? I did I did this um in the toilets in the traffic centre a few weeks ago with my daughter, and there were this conversation is going now. No, no, no, it's a good one, it's a good one. And there was a lady in there, and she must have been in her 80s, and she looked amazing. Her makeup was done, she looked fantastic what she was wearing. Um, she looked fantastic. And as I was walking out the toilets, I just said to her, I was like, you know what? You look amazing today. I was like, Your hair. I said, Your makeup, you look fantastic. She did the normal thing, oh, you know, I've lost weight and I'm there, you know, and all this, that and the other. Anyway, we walked off, and then I overheard her husband was waiting for her outside, and I overheard her say to her husband, that lady over there, she's just told me that I look lovely and this, that, and the other. And I just walked off and I was like, Yeah, that little dopamine hit that I got. It costs nothing. And it costs nothing. Absolutely nothing. And you know, and it's just, it's just, yeah, it's made someone's day, and my daughter saw her and she was just like, oh my god, mum. Yeah. So it's yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Now I'm gonna ask you to dive into our power jar. Okay. Okay. So the power jar is a question which has been left by one of our previous guests. So some way say a tombola of questions, a lucky dip.
SPEAKER_02:Oh, wow.
SPEAKER_00:Now, are you prepared to go in?
SPEAKER_02:I mean, you don't know what's gonna come out of it. We have no idea what is gonna come out of this. Right, okay. Thank you very much.
SPEAKER_00:So we don't know which guest is getting so when you leave your question for the next guest. This will be a payback time. What have you got? What have you got?
SPEAKER_02:If you could add one real life lesson to the school timetable, what would it be? Oh menopause.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, but there is a something about but yeah, 100%.
SPEAKER_02:That's definitely got to be up there because you know, how unfair is it that I've got a daughter who's got hormones coming in as mine are buggering off?
unknown:You know?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, irony. It's just like, oh my god, what what who decided this timing? Who decided it? Um, but it's it's true, and for my son as well, you know, he I'm very open with him. You know, he gets it, he kind of laughs about it, you know, when I've kind of been an absolute witch to him or, you know, I've lost my playing the prodigy. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know, and um it's important that he understands, you know, that and and I I do apologize for the times when you know it's I go a little bit crazy and irrational, and you know, you I see these memes of kind of women who come in and go, you've not done the dish, wash, you've not done this, you've not done this, and then like a crying upstairs about something. It it really is that kind of mental. Um so I think menopause has definitely got to be um up there on the school timetable. And I think as well for women at Gleeds, you know, I keep thinking about the events that we're putting on, and and I'm gonna be starting a um they don't they don't know this yet, but a perimenopause kind of or menopause drop-in session. I do a similar one for ADHD, which is wild, where you know, you get a load of neurodivergent people on a call with ADHD. It's crazy, but amazing because it's you know, it's a chance for us to kind of know that we're not going mad in things that we do. Um, but I know that when I was thinking about this perimenopause or menopause dropping, I'm gonna be, you know, pushing for the younger girls to kind of be involved in that because I don't want them to think this isn't for them. Um and the men as well. And you know, it affects the men, probably more so the divorce rates, you know, all that kind of stuff. It's it's something they're living and breathing with us.
SPEAKER_00:I don't know about their mums or their sisters or their cousins, aunties, teacher, whatever it is, it's appreciation, isn't it?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, it's it's the real world skills. Yes, yeah, it is because it's gonna happen to everyone, it happens no matter what. It's you know, as sure as death. We're all gonna go through menopause. It's it's something that's gonna happen.
SPEAKER_00:Well, I genuinely thought I'd skipped it because I didn't, you know, I'm like, I'm all good, yeah, and no, boom, eight years in.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, it is, and the thing is that's more kind of concerning. Someone said to me the other day, it lasts for 10 years. Yeah, yeah, that's I am not signing up for this.
SPEAKER_00:Um yeah, yeah. That's a noise, that's the noise you've gotta you've gotta put out there. Um and uh just final question what is your superpower, Miss Kirsty?
SPEAKER_02:Oh, I don't know. Um I don't know. What do you think it is?
SPEAKER_00:Doing spinning the plates, spinning the plates, yeah. And actually being, it's the being you.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, yeah, that is my superpower because like I said, I've not got the energy to play games, to be something that I'm not. And I said when you're in the ring, I'm I'm thinking that you're all to read it. When I'm in the ring, it's a different story, but um, but even that was subconscious. But yeah, I am just me. That's it.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, Kirsty. Thank you so much for joining me on the couch today and bring in your whole self. No imposter syndrome, which we were gonna talk about. No, don't need to.
SPEAKER_02:Don't call it it a syndrome.
SPEAKER_00:It's not exactly, exactly that.
SPEAKER_02:IBS is a syndrome, this isn't it.
SPEAKER_00:What way to finish a podcast than with IBS? Anyway, Kirsty, thank you so much for joining us. Thank you for watching. Look forward to our next adventure. Thank you. Subscribe on YouTube, Apple, Amazon Music, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Leave us a review or follow us on socials. We are power underscore net on Insta, TikTok, and Twitter. We are power on LinkedIn, Facebook, and we are underscore power on YouTube.
