Stress Awareness Month: a PR Talk Compilation [Podcast]

Stress Awareness Month: a PR Talk Compilation [Podcast]

by | Apr 7, 2021 | Podcast, Public Relations

Breathe With PR Talk During Stress Awareness Month

Three Wise Guests Share Important Mental Health and Wellness Techniques 

April is Stress Awareness Month and since we’ve been living with a worldwide health pandemic, we thought there couldn’t be a better time to highlight the pertinent advice we’ve received throughout the years about stress management and mental health. This episode of PR Talk highlights some short snippets of thoughts from three of our most popular guests, with topics ranging from how taking a daily supplement can boost your mental capacity during times of stress, to simply honoring the fact that communications is indeed a stressful job and there are things we can do to ease that mental burden.

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Sheila Hamilton

First, we highlight Sheila Hamilton, the popular KINK FM morning show host turned full-time mental health advocate. Upon her late husband’s tragic death by suicide, Sheila wrote All the Things We Never Knew, a memoir about her experience navigating an inadequate mental healthcare system with a mentally ill husband and the aftermath of his eventual suicide.

Here we highlight how as service providers, PR people have a tendency to over-deliver out of fear, along with the ways in which our physical health plays into our mental health.

Listen to Sheila’s entire episode First Things First: Taking Care of YOU during Coronavirus.

 

Mark Mohammadpour

Next up we have Mark Mohammadpour who found himself overweight and unhappy while working at top PR firms. After losing over 100 pounds, Mark now provides health and wellness coaching through his company Chasing the Sun. 

Mark and I talk about the stressful roles communicators must fill, along with the most common mistakes we make with our health.

Listen to Mark’s entire episode “Living Our Best PR Life” is Mark Mohammadpour’s Motto as He Helps Communications Pros Thrive.

 

Libra Forde

The last interview we showcase is with Libra Forde, who is the Chief Operating Officer of Self Enhancement, Inc. I have become obsessed with her inspiring “Motivational Minute” videos that are regularly posted to her Facebook page (@librabetall). A self-professed “thought partner,” Libra is a leader, speaker and change agent and can be found at LibraForde.com.

Here Libra and I talk about the importance of bringing daily routines, breathing, breaks and more into our working days.

Listen to Libra’s entire episode Welcome the New Year with a Much Needed “Motivational Minute” with Libra Forde.

 

Fika Talk with Audrey Rosenberg

If you listen all the way through you will be treated to a bonus segment from the mini-series Fika Talk about how Breaks are good!

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You can access more great episodes by subscribing to the PR Talk podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, iHeart Radio and Spotify.

About the guest: Sheila Hamilton

Sheila Hamilton is the host of Beyond Well, a five-time Emmy award-winning journalist, radio host, and the author of two mental health-related books, All the Things We Never Knew and a new novel to be released this year. She co-hosted the highly-rated Kink morning show for more than a decade and was voted Portland’s favorite radio personality in 2016.

Connect and follow Sheila on social media:

Cassidy Quinn on PR Talk

About the guest: Mark Mohammadpour

After a career spent rising through the ranks of some of the country’s most respected PR firms, Mark Mohammadpour needed a change. Overweight and unhappy, Mark chose to prioritize his health and bring new meaning to his career. After losing over 100 pounds, and keeping the weight off for more than a decade, Mark now provides health and wellness coaching to communication professionals nationwide through his company Chasing the Sun. You can also subscribe to the Chasing the Sun podcast on iTunes or Spotify.

Connect and follow Mark on social media:

Mark Mohammadpour

About the guest: Libra Forde

Libra Forde is the Chief Operating Officer of the Portland nonprofit, Self Enhancement, Inc. However, her popularity has risen lately with her inspiring and honest “Motivational Minute” videos posted weekly to her @BeTallLibra Facebook page. A self-professed “thought partner,” Libra is a leader, speaker and change agent available for speaking engagements at LibraForde.com.

Connect and follow Libra on social media:

Cassidy Quinn on PR Talk

This episode of PR Talk is brought to you by PRSA Oregon

Throughout Oregon and Southwest Washington, PRSA provides members with networking, mentorship, skill building and professional development opportunities – whether you are a new professional fresh out of college or a skilled expert with 20 years in the industry. Check out PRSAoregon.org for more information on how membership can help you grow and connect.

Sheila Hamilton: Mental Health Advocate [Podcast]

Sheila Hamilton: Mental Health Advocate [Podcast]

by | May 6, 2020 | Podcast, Public Relations

First Things First: Taking Care of YOU during Coronavirus

Sheila Hamilton, Kink morning show reporter turned mental health advocate, offers advice on battling the 3 key PR vulnerabilities

You may have noticed that we took a short pause in the typical PR Talk programming. Even though we kept busy with the side-project of Fika Talk — a video series featuring myself and my daughter providing quick self-employment tips — the “break” allowed me to reflect and ask myself: What am I doing with this podcast? What is the point?

 

Help is On the Way

The answer was easy because the point has always been to help my fellow PR people. For no obvious business reason other than this oddly altruistic ideal. I don’t know why I want to help PR people as I am too short-sighted to do any proper planning to tie in my present-day actions with my long-term goals. I just simply want to have fun connecting with guests on the podcast, assist PR people in discovering excellence, and learn a little bit along the way.

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Mental Health & Loss of Jobs in PR

Remembering that the point of the podcast is to help, I immediately thought of topics that can relate to what my crew is worried about right now. Namely, mental health issues and the loss of jobs. At some point, beyond blind media pitching tips, we’ll get back into how to work with the press during these uncharted times. 

 

Sheila Hamilton’s Career Pivot 

So in the name of putting our oxygen masks on first, we’re coming back to you with the most fitting guest of all — the extraordinary Sheila Hamilton. You may remember Sheila from the 18 years she spent serving as KINK radio’s morning show host, back in the days when we used to drive to the office, and KXL radio’s afternoon show reporter. 

However, unfortunate experiences led her career in a new direction. After writing her first memoir, All the Things We Never Knew, about raising a young child with a mentally ill husband and the aftermath of his eventual suicide, Sheila committed herself to mental health advocacy work full-time by launching Beyond Well Solutions, which offers employers a library of custom branded company podcasts that help employees manage their mental health journeys and increase Employee Assistance Program utilization. She also hosts Beyond Well With Sheila Hamilton, alongside two doctors, to provide tools for emotional agility and psychological flexibility. 

 

Three Key PR Vulnerabilities

Who better than Sheila to guide us through self-care during these anxiety-provoking times? Throughout the episode, Sheila and I discuss the state of the world along with the state of our minds. We talk through the 3 key vulnerabilities I see many PR people, including myself, holding, with Sheila providing tips on how to overcome them. They are:

1: People pleasing = poor boundaries

Being service-oriented, PR professionals tend to be people-pleasers. How can we avoid being everything to everyone by setting good boundaries during a time when many feel they must over-perform based on fear of losing their jobs or their clients? 

2: Imposter syndrome = low confidence

I’ve witnessed many a PR person exhibit strong signs of imposter syndrome, which means that they don’t have confidence in their abilities. How can we rebuild our confidence while working in what may feel like a black hole at times with media pitches being unanswered on the regular?

3: Excessive news consumption = anxiety overload

We’re supposed to consume the news to be good at our jobs. It helps us strengthen our pitches, change course or fulfill media contact research. How can we still perform this necessary function when the news is so disturbing, tending to bring us towards depression and anxiety? 

About the guest: Sheila Hamilton

Sheila Hamilton is the host of Beyond Well, a five-time Emmy award-winning journalist, radio host, and the author of two mental health-related books, All the Things We Never Knew and a new novel to be released this year. She co-hosted the highly-rated Kink morning show for more than a decade and was voted Portland’s favorite radio personality in 2016. 

Connect and follow Sheila on social media:

This episode of PR Talk is brought to you by PRSA Oregon

Throughout Oregon and Southwest Washington, PRSA provides members with networking, mentorship, skill building and professional development opportunities – whether you are a new professional fresh out of college or a skilled expert with 20 years in the industry. Check out PRSAoregon.org for more information on how membership can help you grow and connect.