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18. Dr Qian Xu, specialist in rejuvenation and health optimisation
29:04||Season 1, Ep. 18Dr Qian Xu, a specialist in rejuvenation and health optimisation, is Medical Director at Clinicity in central London, where our podcast host Dr Ben Sinclair's award-winning medical business, Dr Finlay’s Private Practice, is based. Dr Qian was born in China and came to UK when she was aged 10. Her mother was a doctor specialising in obstetrics and gynaecology, her father a medical research scientist. After graduating at Southampton Uni, Dr Qian worked at Southampton General Hospital, and later in A&E at St George’s Hospital, London, a major trauma centre.At Clinicity, she is building up a team of practitioners, “all experts at the top of their field”. She declares: “The human body and mind are amazing. The links between mind and body, and how they affect physical symptoms, are something Western medicine takes a different view on. I feel it is very much focused on disease processes, what medications we can use to treat symptoms, making them better in the short-term – rather than delving into the root causes of diseases. Traditional Chinese medicine, herbal medicine, the naturopathic specialities are more holistic. Western medicine’s ‘quick-fix approach’ is relatively recent and I'm not sure is very good or healthy for the general population.” Dr Qian also enthusiastically recommends rejuvenating red-light therapy, available at Clinicity, and the NovoTHOR machine, of which Hollywood star Tom Cruise is also a big fan.
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17. Dean Billington, telecoms company owner
29:04||Season 1, Ep. 17Dean Billington, a telecoms company owner, stands 6ft 5ins tall and completed 7 years in the British Army, (as a radio operator in the Royal Engineers), joining when he was aged 17. After leaving the Armed Forces, he worked in the telecoms sector. Then In 2011, he left to start Triton Telecom, his own company. Employing 4 people, they are a “one-stop-shop for all B2B telephony requirements, with partners in technology, IT, marketing, telemarketing and SEO”.Dean has lived a full, extraordinary life and crammed a lot into his 55 years. He has saved lives (in his role as a qualified rescue diver) and nearly lost his own, in a near-fatal motorcycle accident. In 2010, he was knocked off his bike and broke his shoulder blade in half, broke 6 ribs, suffered head injuries, has pins & plates in his knee, has had surgery 3 times and spent 6 months in hospital. Despite this setback, his approach to life today is upbeat and full of optimism and positivity.Once asked by a journalist what he felt was his biggest opportunity in life, he replied: “Getting up in the morning! Every day is an opportunity to do better than you did the day before. Every day is a new start. Y16. Jas Rohel, Education charity CEO & Awards Founder
29:03||Season 1, Ep. 16Jas Rohel is the Founder of the annual Education Awards, which she launched 8 years ago after she noticed many people leaving the sector without the recognition they deserved. They began small, only in the Midlands, with 200-250 people attending each year. Now the awards are staged nationally, held at 5 venues, Manchester, London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Midlands, each attracting 500-600 people and held throughout the year. The awards' headline sponsor is the international bank HSBC.Jas has also recently become CEO of the education charity the Titan Partnership, which has been going for 35 years and has established a fine record for making an impact in schools. It began with a group of head teachers coming together to discuss teacher training, but now involves much more. They target youngers from primary schools to Higher Education. “As CEO I aim to grow the network as every school needs to be part of Titan. We want to grow the charity on a national basis," says Jas. "More needs to be done to support the young generation due to the landscape of the world today. Youngsters have it 100% tougher today than it used to be in my day as a youngster. I don't remember walking around worried about knife and gun crime. There is the influence of social media and the impact it has on youngsters today. There is so much negative information about.” In her other roles, Jas Rohel is also a Council member at Solihull Chamber of Commerce and is Station Controller at Solihull Radio.15. Dr Jared Watson, clinical psychologist
29:04||Season 1, Ep. 15Dr Jared Watson, an experienced clinical psychologist, was born, raised & educated in New Zealand, including at the University of Wellington, before he came to the UK in 2016. Part of the award-winning team at Dr Finlay's Private Practice, Dr Jared divides his time between supporting people with severe and enduring mental-health issues, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, and working with NHS staff who report a range of conditions relating to their work and stressful lifestyles. Dr Jared also supports individuals and teams within the corporate sector, specialising in what is termed ‘organisational psychology’. His work involves helping companies and their employees to optimise their performance. In this episode, he also discusses the impact on mental health brought by social media today. He also discusses the rise in mental health diagnoses in past 20 years in the UK, and the possible reasons for this. "That’s not so much related to the recent Pandemic and could be partly influenced by the fact that people are more comfortable talking about mental health issues today.” He sees this as a good thing. Mental Health has been on a journey and there is less stigma and shame attached to it and talking openly about it these days. Hence the expression: “It's OK not to be OK”. Dr Jared adds: “It's not such a taboo subject anymore.”14. John Street, an award-winning charity Founder
29:05||Season 1, Ep. 14John Street is the Founder & Director of one of Birmingham’s most famous and longest-established charities, Free At Last, which is dedicated to improving the lives of the children and young people of Nechells, an area of the city. Now in his 50s, John started as a community youth worker aged 17 and has worked in the sector for over 30 years. He works punishing hours and is devoted to supporting the charity, its staff, the children, and is constantly fire-fighting problems. Free At Last is celebrating its 25th anniversary. It currently helps 2,000-3,000 people a year and John manages a team of 65 staff. He attends the centre Monday-Fridays and usually has Saturdays and Sundays off, but he also works approximately 26 weekends a year. “In the last 5 weeks I’ve worked Monday to Friday, then Saturday and Sunday, too,” he says. Free At Last has won many awards, notably The Queens Award for Voluntary Service 2019, citation: “For improving the lives of the children and young people of Nechells, Birmingham”. Asked about his own health, John says: “I don’t do stress and I choose not to do stress”. Pressure helps him. He unwinds by climbing mountains and leading outdoor expeditions. John was listed in the Independent newspaper’s ‘Happy List’ in 2013 for being one of top 100 happiest people in the country for helping others.13. Elizabeth Muir, Pilates and Physio expert practitioner
29:05||Season 1, Ep. 13Elizabeth Muir, a Musculoskeletal & Pelvic Health Physiotherapist and Clinical Pilates Practitioner, is part of the Dr Finlay's Private Practice team in Birmingham. Her “hybrid” credentials, combining and merging Physio and Pilates, also inspire her own business, Elizabeth Alexander Physiotherapy and Pilates. Beth offers listeners valuable tips and advice based on her 14 years’ experience treating and supporting everyone from new-born babies one day-old, right up to her oldest patient, who was 99.Beth is passionate about encouraging people to move more. Breathing is also a major topic discussed at length, as it affects many areas of the body and mind. Our focus on mental health, as well as physical, has grown hugely post-pandemic, she says, and Pilates and Physio are central to this. There’s not enough post-natal care and support today, and Beth as a mother-of-two, talks about her own experiences, also of supporting clients in this area.12. Alan Kinnaird, a highly-experienced Business Development Manager
29:05||Season 1, Ep. 12Alan Kinnaird, a business development manager originally from Glasgow, started in Finance in 1987 and his accreditation is “FCSI” (a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Securities and Investments). Alan now lives in York and is marking his 30th anniversary in the sector where he is now a Portfolio Manager & Relationship Manager. Alan's main expertise is advising clients on the running costs involved in managing a portfolio of investments and handling their investments. In a wide-ranging conversation with Dr Ben, Alan talks about how people can look after their physical and mental health at the same time as managing their financial health. He is an expert on topics raised by his many clients over the years, such as * When should I build my wealth check and why? * Why Protection ranks first, investments second * How to carefully select and monitor your first team of dedicated Legal, Banking, Tax & Investment Advisers, plus the subs’ bench * How to save and build wealth without excessive compounding costs * What he has learned from 35 years of investing in funds and ETFs (Exchange-Traded Funds) * How to segregate and protect your assets * Online safety: measures to practise and * 3 steps to building a long-term financial plan. Alan also talks about pensions - and his passion for karate and the Israeli martial art of ‘Krav Maga’! Not a man to be messed with, he holds a black belt.