How Do We Manage?

For years the conversation around mental health has been framed in a negative way. People often ask you ‘what’s wrong?’ but do they ever ask you ‘what’s right?’

In a new book What’s Going Right: A Powerful New Method for Optimizing Your Mental Health, celebrity-endorsed psychiatrist, renowned author and president of Pacific Premier Group, Dr Paul Conti flips the lens on mental health to arm us with the tools we need on a daily basis to explore ourselves from a positive standpoint.

In this episode, Dr Conti teaches Stephanie about something called the ‘generative drive’ - the thing inside all of us that helps us get things done, help others, solve problems and connect to others; and how tapping into that can lead us away from the unhelpful thought processes that make us feel stuck or worried. 

Please note: the information in this episode is not designed for people who are currently suffering with acute mental illness. If you are struggling with your mental health there is support out there; we have listed some charities below.

Resources & Links 

For more from How Do We Manage you can follow us on Instagram!

https://www.instagram.com/howdowemanage

https://www.instagram.com/stephanievonbismarck

Mental health charities:

https://www.samaritans.org/

https://www.mind.org.uk/

Links to Dr Paul Conti’s work:

https://drpaulconti.com/

https://pacificpremiergroup.com/

Buy Dr Paul Conti’s new book, What’s Going Right: A Powerful New Method for Optimizing Your Mental Health (US)

Buy Dr Paul Conti’s new book, What’s Going Right: A Powerful New Method for Optimizing Your Mental Health (UK)

For more from Dr Paul Conti why not listen back to our other episode with him all about trauma

Host: Stephanie von Bismarck 

Guest: Dr Paul Conti

Producer: Holly Fisher

Production Manager: Angela Crago 

Executive Producer: Ellie Di Martino 

The series was recorded and edited at PodShop studios. 

Follow @HowDoWeManage

How many times have you used your water supply today? To brush your teeth? Flush the toilet? Perhaps you gave your apple a quick rinse at breakfast while the kettle was boiling for your coffee. For many of us around the world we take for granted that when we turn a tap on water appears. But what if that basic resource suddenly disappeared? 

A scenario where we're left with no water is referred to as a 'Day Zero' - it's nearly happened in a few countries already - like South Africa - and here in the UK it's predicted that London could run out of water by 2050. That's just over two decades away. So why aren't we talking about it?

Lucy Easthope is an international disaster recovery adviser, and visiting Professor at Manchester Metropolitan. She’s also the author of two books: ‘When The Dust Settles’ and ‘Come What May’. She has vast amounts of experience working in the aftermath of many of the biggest catastrophes of this century, from terrorist attacks to natural disasters.

Today she tells Stephanie why running out of water is a very real problem for places that might not think of themselves at risk, how you can be best prepared, and what it means to be someone who has spent a lifetime thinking about the worst case scenario.

Resources & Links 

Lucy’s website: https://whatevernext.info/

Order ‘Come What May’ 

Disasters Avoided: https://disastersavoided.com/

Government guidance for preparing for an emergency: https://prepare.campaign.gov.uk/

Host: Stephanie von Bismarck 

Guest: Lucy Easthope

Producer: Holly Fisher

Production Manager: Angela Crago 

Executive Producer: Ellie Di Martino 

The series was recorded and edited at PodShop studios. Follow @HowDoWeManage

Pain is something we all experience in some shape or form. However, 19% of adults in Europe and the US live with chronic pain, and almost half say they don’t get proper relief - so what are we getting wrong? 

To understand the nuances of pain - whether chronic, acute or emotional - and its treatment, this week we speak to Dr Kirsty Bannister, Principal Investigator of the Central Modulation of Pain laboratory at Imperial University in London.

She tells Stephanie what is happening in the body and the brain when we feel pain, why our mental health and socio-economic status could affect the levels of pain we feel, and what we still need to understand to better treat people with chronic pain.

Host: Stephanie von Bismarck 

Guest: Dr Kirsty Bannister

Producer: Holly Fisher

Production Manager: Angela Crago 

Executive Producer: Ellie Di Martino 

The series was recorded and edited at Pod Shop studios. 

Follow @HowDoWeManage

Since the release of Louis Theroux’s documentary on the ‘Manosphere’ we have heard a lot of noise about influencers who are promoting potentially dangerous and misogynistic lifestyles and attitudes to young men. But when we know that our sons will see content like this whether we like it or not, how do we talk to them about it?

Ben Hurst is an educator who works with boys and young men to talk about masculinity. He provides workshops in schools to get them talking about sex, relationships, what they’ve seen online, and most importantly how to think critically about it. In this episode he joins Stephanie to talk about how to meet teenagers on their level to offer them alternative narratives to what they’re given online.

Resources & Links 

https://www.instagram.com/therealbenhurst/

Host: Stephanie von Bismarck 

Guest: Ben Hurst

Producer: Holly Fisher

Production Manager: Angela Crago 

Executive Producer: Ellie Di Martino 

The series was recorded and edited at Pod Shop studios. 

Follow @HowDoWeManage

Fertility issues in a heterosexual couple generally fall into a 50/50 split between men and women. So why then, when we talk about infertility in a couple trying to conceive, does the focus often fall to the woman?

Even in a world of increased research and technology around having a baby, men’s fertility is still an under-discussed topic. Dr. Anand Patel is a UK-based GP and leading specialist in men’s fertility. He tells Stephanie just how underresearched it is in medicine, and walks us through what getting your fertility tested properly looks like, how to change your lifestyle to optimise your sperm, and to remove some of the stigma around male infertility.

Resources & Links 

https://www.instagram.com/drana.nd/

https://dranand.com/

Host: Stephanie von Bismarck 

Guest: Dr Anand Patel

Producer: Holly Fisher

Production Manager: Angela Crago 

Executive Producer: Ellie Di Martino 

The series was recorded and edited at Pod Shop studios. Follow @HowDoWeManage