This week on the show Dawn and Tracy are joined by Chris Edwards, a business owner that has ADHD, OCD and, with his wife, is currently going through the process of IVF, for the 13th time. As you can imagine, all of this puts a huge strain on Chris’s mental health and his ability to run his business effectively. What Chris discovered is that most people think your business impacts your life, but it is your life that impacts your business. In this interview with Dawn and Tracy, Chris recounts the challenges he has faced as a business owner whilst dealing with various ailments and challenges and how he has learned to create a balancing act.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• For a long time Chris thought that starting a business would impact his life, but what he has discovered is that it is his life that is impacting his business. He talks about the various ways his business suffers due to his ADHD, OCD and IVF.
• Chris recounts his early experiences with IVF, how this impacted him both personally and in his relationship with his wife, the lessons he learned from this experience and how his relationship is stronger now for having one through this process. 
• Chris’s OCD plays a major part in how his life and business operate. He discusses some of the challenges he faces on a daily basis and the procedures he has put in place to help minimise its effects. 
• There is still a stigma around men talking about their mental health, especially in the workplace. Chris soon learned that he needed to communicate his needs and his concerns to those around him in order to stay sane. He talks about the new world that opened up to him when he began to communicate.

BEST MOMENTS

“Society puts a lot of emphasis on a woman going through pregnancy, but men have as much emotional involvement as the women do.”

“Employers need to realise that supporting their staff isn’t just about money, it’s about giving their employees time and space for their mental wellbeing.”  

“Men need to communicate about their mental health. The days of putting on a front, of being big and strong are over.”

EPISODE RESOURCES

https://www.youtube.com/channel/@Chrisj.Edwards

https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisjohnedwards/

https://www.instagram.com/chrisj.edwards

https://www.instagram.com/ittakes_three

https://marketingbotics.com/

Real Women on Instagram

Real Women Website

ABOUT THE GUEST

Chris Edwards is a seasoned specialist in doing things the hard way. Not by choice, but because of the life events that have been thrown at his feet.

Back in 2016 he ran a semi-successful marketing agency but overtime had to learn how to fit it around what he calls his alphabet soup, by adapting his business with a power automated infrastructure that he learned accidentally and now teaches and implements for others. His business Marketing Botics, helps and provides small businesses with CRM systems, marketing tools and automation strategies to help busy business owners manage and grow.

ABOUT THE HOSTS

Dawn and Tracy are real women who are fed up of all the “noise” out there in the real world. Life isn’t simply rainbows and unicorns, it's broken relationships, hard work, hot sweats and never ending laundry baskets.  But life as a real woman is also about being honest, having good gossip and speaking our truths. Whether it’s peeling yourself into your spandex for a night out, or running a business meeting barefoot because the heel has fallen off your stilettos, there is always something to laugh about in life. 

Dawn is mid 50’s mid menopause straight talking business maverick.  Four kids, three grandchildren, two businesses, one husband and a self proclaimed “hottie”.

Tracy is a mid 50’s awesome mum, business and property mentor. Proud of her raw, honest nature, “bonkers” sense of humour and good old-fashioned northern humility.

PODCAST DESCRIPTION

The business of being a real woman juggling life, love and work for many of us is pure sweat, grit & hustle. This podcast is for those of you who are tired of the “noise” and just want real down-to-earth gossip with no filters or fluff.  Dawn and Tracy bring heartfelt humour, raw honesty, spandex, stilettos, and intelligent conversion on being a real woman in today's world.