How to Break Free from People-Pleasing: Understanding the Roots and Reclaiming Your Power People-pleasing might seem like a harmless personality trait, but for many, it’s a deeper, more complex response to fear and low self-worth. In this blog, we delve into why people-pleasing takes hold, its impact on mental health, and practical steps you can […]
EPISODE Sixteen: Navigating The Storm: Conquering Anxiety & Panic Attacks Join us on Tickety Boo as we embark on an enlightening journey into the realms of anxiety and panic attacks. In this episode, your hosts Andy Griffiths, a seasoned therapist, and Suzanne, our empathetic mental health advocate, delve into the depths of anxiety, exploring its complexities
EPISODE Fifteen: The Illusion of Self and Navigating the Journey to Self Awareness. Have you ever stopped to think about how you perceive yourself? What makes you unique, what makes you different from others, and what gives you your sense of self? Well, These are questions that we all struggle with at some point in
EPISODE Fourteen: When talking to your GP does not help and what to do next. The harsh reality is that seeking out mental health support via the GP/NHS can be a really frustrating process. So many people struggle when medication is the only option given and it isn’t helping.Right now there are people that are struggling
EPISODE Thirteen: The Emotional Toll of Hair Loss That Nobody Talks About . Hair loss is a deeply personal issue and for those struggling with it you can become obsessed and envious with other peoples hair. Why does hair loss causes so much anxiety? Yes, it’s “just” your hair, which is not a big deal
EPISODE Twelve: Feeling Empty. What it Means and What to Do. In this episode I talk about what we can do to help us through those chapters in life where we feel like we have little or no direction. Transcript: Please note this is a verbatim transcription from the original audio and therefore there may
EPISODE Eleven: Parenting in the aftermath of Trauma In this episode we talk to Heather Dickson about the trauma she faced during her childhood and the impact it had on becoming a new mum. Although rewarding, motherhood is also an inherently stressful period, more so for mothers with unresolved trauma. During her training to become
EPISODE Ten: PTSD From Veteran to Civilian As part of Mental Health Awareness Week, we are sharing a story of overcoming trauma and life changing injuries. In this episode we speak to Chris Auker-Howlett about his journey from veteran to civilian. After being medically discharged from the army Chris was about to begin the biggest
EPISODE Nine: Childhood Trauma In this episode we talk to Iona Russell about her childhood and the challenges she faced. At the age of 5 when learning to read it was discovered Iona was partially deaf, and she had taught herself to talk by lip reading. At the age of 8 the pivotal journey into lack
EPISODE Eight: Mental Health Expectation vs Reality Our expectations over our mental health can create significant stress when they don’t match up to our reality. It’s still the case that most people think of mental health, as mental illness – that needs expert intervention and that’s not always the case. We all have mental health,
Training & Development
Tagline: Grounded, real and genuinely hard to forget.
LinkedIn:
Ian is an experienced therapist whose work spans trauma, addiction, anxiety and recovery. His approach is shaped as much by lived experience as by professional training and that combination makes him exceptionally relatable to the people he works with.
People who’ve worked with Ian consistently say the same thing — he gets it in a way that goes beyond what most trainers can offer. He doesn’t just understand the subject. He understands people.
Within Piece of Mind Training, Ian also plays a key role in business and strategic development, bringing a practical, grounded perspective to how the organisation grows and evolves.
Training & Development
Tagline: He’s seen mental health crisis at its most acute. And he knows what actually helps.
LinkedIn:
David’s background is probably unlike anyone else you’ll meet in a mental health training room.
Twenty-three years on the frontline of emergency services first as a police officer, now as an HCPC-registered practising paramedic. He hasn’t studied stress, trauma and burnout from a distance. He’s carried them, in uniform, responding to people at the absolute worst moments of their lives. He understands the culture that makes asking for help feel like the hardest thing in the world because he’s lived inside that culture.
That frontline experience sits alongside his clinical practice as a qualified hypnotherapist and accredited EFT practitioner. David works with real people navigating real challenges every single week. What he brings to Piece of Mind Training isn’t theoretical. It’s current, grounded and built entirely from the inside out.
As part of the team, David delivers training, practises as a therapist and plays a key role in the development and direction of the organisation making sure that everything Piece of Mind produces is professionally rigorous and genuinely human.
David is responsible for development and ensures that Piece of Mind Training programmes are grounded in real-world application. Not what the textbook says should happen. What actually works when it matters.
Growth & Partnerships
Tagline: She’s written the book. Literally.
Iona has spent more than twenty years working at the intersection of human potential and real-world impact — across psychology, coaching, education, broadcasting, the charitable sector and social policy, in both the UK and the USA.
She is a Master Positive Psychology Coach and twice bestselling author who has supported hundreds of people through coaching qualifications and worked alongside some of the most respected names in positive psychology and personal development. As a keynote speaker and leadership advisor, she helps organisations rethink what success and human flourishing actually look like.
But what drives Iona’s commitment to mental health work goes deeper than her professional background. She lost her brother to suicide. That experience — and everything it taught her about the gap between what people are going through and the support available to them — shapes everything she brings to Piece of Mind Training.
At Piece of Mind, Iona leads our partnerships, builds community impact and drives our growth across Scotland and beyond. She brings commercial insight, deep human understanding and a personal reason for being here that no CV can fully capture.
Head of Training
Tagline: The person who makes sure the learning delivers every time.
LinkedIn:
Ann has spent her career helping people make sense of the things that are weighing on them and finding a way forward when everything feels tough.
Her background is genuinely rare. A qualified teacher, certified hypnotherapist, coach and First Aid for Mental Health practitioner, Ann brings together an understanding of how people learn with a deep, practical knowledge of how people struggle. She still works directly with adults and young people every week supporting those experiencing anxiety, low confidence, emotional distress and the kind of quiet difficulties that don’t always have a name but make everyday life feel impossibly hard.
As a trainer, Ann knows that the best mental health training doesn’t just inform people, it changes how they see themselves and the people around them. She brings that belief into every session she delivers, whether she’s working with a room full of HR professionals or a team who’ve never talked about mental health at work before.
As a therapist, trainer, teacher and mum of three, Ann understands that most people are dealing with far more than anyone around them realises. That understanding is the foundation of everything she does.
At Piece of Mind Training, Ann leads on training quality and consistency, making sure that what we promise is what every learner experiences, every time.
Founder
Tagline: The man who built this because he needed it himself.
Qualifications include:
Andy is a practising therapist, clinical hypnotherapist and the founder of Piece of Mind Training. He’s spent over a decade working with clients across anxiety, trauma, panic disorder and complex mental health presentations not as a theorist, but as someone who has experienced many of these challenges himself.
His personal journey through mental health struggles, panic disorder and years of pretending everything was fine is the reason Piece of Mind Training exists. He built what he wished had existed when he needed it most.
As a trainer, Andy is known for his directness, his warmth and his ability to make people feel genuinely seen. He doesn’t stand behind a slide deck and talk at people. He brings the subject into the room.
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