Brenda Pollack is a passionate coach, trainer, facilitator and speaker who loves helping people to live more fulfilled and happy lives – with less stress. She’s the founder of the Stress Less Coach, through which she aims to provide services to support people and organisations that are changing the world. Here, she talks to NOW’s Director, Roger Higman.
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Brenda Pollack has had a thirty year career in the third sector, delivering environmental change by supporting grassroots campaigners for Friends of the Earth. I first met her when she was supporting a network of community groups, which had come together to protest plans to expand the roads along the south coast from Folkestone in Kent to Honiton in Devon. She has since mentored, trained and worked alongside volunteers on many different issues, from halting fracking, securing a South Downs National Park, to saving international wildlife sites in the New Forest.
Our paths diverged when I left Friends of the Earth in 2009, but recently we’ve reconnected. I asked her what first inspired her to learn about wellbeing.
Like many, it was a personal realisation that she wasn’t happy. Brenda suffered a bad period of stress about five years ago. She says “it was a tsunami of things which led to me becoming very ill. I spent weeks unable to eat and experienced a lot of pain. I was sent for various tests which ended with no real diagnosis. This was my wake-up call. I realised that the stress from work changes, along with the menopause and an eye operation that left me with vision issues, had combined to such a point that I experienced physical symptoms. As soon as I started tackling the stress and bringing mindful awareness to myself, I started to get better.”
Brenda attended Buddhist day retreats and received coaching which she says transformed her life. She gained clarity and perspective about her situation which enabled her to move forward positively. She found coaching so transformational that she decided to become one herself – to help others in the charity sector to reduce stress and fulfil their potential, whilst doing great work.
She went on to qualify as a certified instructor of mental health awareness in the workplace, and now gives talks and workshops on menopause, stress management and mindfulness. As a qualified trainer, she enjoys designing and delivering impactful and enjoyable learning experiences. She’s developed her own signature “Learn to Stress Less” course and loves guiding other people in manageable mindfulness practices.
Brenda is particularly concerned that workers in the charity sector receive little support for personal growth and learning. She feels that coaching sessions should be available to staff on a regular basis to help them with focus, motivation and contentment in their work. Whilst some charities do offer coaching to managers and senior staff, it’s rare for this to be offered to those on the delivery or service side of work. This is something she hopes to change. “I’d like to see the charity sector embrace coaching for all staff and not just for the elite few. I’m hearing how stretched and overwhelmed many staff are in the not-for-profit arena and I believe more can be done to help staff and volunteers.”
Brenda loves giving talks on the importance of looking after your own mental health. As she says, “you don’t have to be mentally ill to prioritise looking after your mental wellbeing. Being aware of the state of your mind and taking action, however small, is really important. Prevention is always better than cure. Many of us go through life without paying attention to our minds. I was very aware of the importance of looking after my physical health with exercise and a good diet but it hadn’t occurred to me, before all this happened, that I should be proactive in taking care of my mental health.”
Workplaces have a duty to care for their employees’ mental wellbeing. The more an employer can provide training to staff on managing stress, the more people are likely to excel. Brenda notes that lots of people in the third sector are now reporting their overwhelm or anxiety. People seem more willing to talk about it than in the past.
She feels that it’s important, for those working to bring about societal change, to be mindful of supporting staff and volunteers to avoid burnout and sickness.“It’s up to those working in positions of power in the charity sector to allocate time and resources to look after their most valuable assets – their people. Wellbeing is the foundation for everything.”
The Stress Less Coach provides services to support people and organisations that are changing the world. Brenda also shares tips on stressing less and personal growth in her monthly newsletter. She offers a free introductory coaching session if you’re curious about how it might help you. You can find out more at www.stresslesscoach.co.uk or follow her on LinkedIn or other social media channels.