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LIVE HEALTHY NOW - Episode 79
Navigating chronic illness and disability with strong health
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Chronic illness is rising fast, especially amongst women. As more people struggle with their health because of these long-term illnesses and disabilities, many of which take years to be correctly diagnosed, continuing to work can become a huge problem.
“You fear you’re going to be labelled as somebody that’s got something wrong with and that your company will think “Oh God, she’s going to cost us if we promote her, she’s going to end up not being reliable” and so it does put more pressure on you.”
— Nicola Mercer
“It’s completely non-apparent, but that doesn’t mean that I’m not in pain. It doesn’t mean that I’m not struggling with fatigue. I really want to try and raise awareness of the fact that a lot of people are living with these conditions, but the people around them might not necessarily realise that’s the case.”
— Sarah Berthon
Sarah Berthon is here to share her story of navigating ill-health for many years and the toll it took on her physical and mental health as she tried to continue working as an employee. Sarah was finally diagnosed with ME, PoTS, and Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and now runs her own business supporting people with chronic illnesses in the workplace through mentoring, workshops and online communities.
In our conversation today we talk about:
Navigating a chronic illness and ill health whilst working as an employee.
The pressure felt to continue working despite ill health and how this can further affect your wellbeing.
Being body aware and creating a habit of knowing what your body is telling you it needs.
Sarah’s personal journey to being correctly diagnosed with several chronic illnesses.
Why the workplace needs to have better awareness and understanding of chronic illness and disability.
The definition of disability and removing the fear of talking about disabilities.
The importance of creating a culture of openness, acceptance and support in workplaces.
The Lilac Review project being ran by the UK government and how Sarah is part of the steering board to support entrepreneurs with disability to start-up their own business and successfully run a business.
Putting your health first to be able to live a full and strong life, and achieve the success you want.
About Sarah:
Sarah Berthon is the founder of Excel against the Odds and is passionate about supporting people with chronic illness in the workplace using her own experience of living with several chronic illnesses including PoTS, Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, ME/CFS and Chronic Migraine, and has experience of working in Corporate Organisations and running her own businesses whilst living with these conditions.
Sarah supports business owners with chronic illnesses and organisations that want to better support employees with these conditions, as well as hosting the ‘Excel against the Odds’ podcast talking about the successes and challenges of working with a chronic illness.
She is also on the Steering Board of the Lilac Review, a government backed project looking at tackling the inequalities faced by disabled entrepreneurs.
Connect with Sarah:
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