RECRUIT FOR SPOUSES PODCAST

On this episode we are talking to the incredible Wendy Stand.Wendy is an award-winning VC/PE backed Business Founder, an Entrepreneur and a Visionary.Following the near loss of her young son in a swimming-pool accident whilst on holiday, she went on to change the face of the international travel industry by creating an entirely new family-friendly product class.Sadly because of Covid, things took a turn for the worse, but Wendy didn't let that stop her. She is now a specialist People, Product and Culture strategist and is on a mission to lead the Resilient Britain movement.During the podcast we also hear about her husband having to eject from a fighter jet after a complete engine failure. We hope you enjoy this episode.

In this episode we have the Premiership's most decorated rugby player... Geordan Murphy!He ended his 16th and final season in a Leicester Tigers shirt in 2012/13 with the eighth Premiership title of his career and announced that he would be moving into coaching at the club.Geordy arrived in Leicester as a teenager with just one senior season at Naas RFC in Ireland behind him, he then made his debut against Rotherham in November 1997.He scored 93 tries and 691 points for the club as well as winning 72 caps for Ireland and making seven appearances (including Tests against Argentina and New Zealand) with the British & Lions.Playing in four Heineken Cup Finals for Tigers, he collected back-to-back winners' medals in 2001 and 2002. He also starred in a record seven Premiership Finals for the club.He is still Leicester's leading appearance-holder and tryscorer in the European Cup, and is 17th on the club's all-time tryscorers' chart.He started his coaching career by leading Tigers to the Premiership Sevens Final for the first time in August 2013 and also took a lead role in the run to the Anglo-Welsh Cup Final in 2016/17 as Tigers became the first three-time winners of the tournament.He took over as interim head coach when O'Connor departed after the opening game of the 2018/19 season and the appointment was confirmed in December 2018 before moving to the Director of Rugby role with the arrival of Steve Borthwick in July 2020.We're also incredibly lucky to have Geordy as our Non Executive Director and since joining us 8 months ago he's already made a huge impact within the Recruit For Spouses team.We hope you enjoy this episode!  

In this episode we talk to double Paralympic gold medalist and nine-time world champion Emma Wiggs MBE.Since a mystery virus impaired the mobility in her legs, Emma has fought her way to the top, dedicating herself to not just one, but two sports. She first competed in sitting volleyball before choosing to switch to the high-speed sport of paracanoe and still continues to compete and dominate on the world stage today. Emma won gold at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio and gold and silver at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo, this is in addition to her nine World Championship golds that she's achieved since 2013.Her success in Tokyo was also record-breaking as she became the most decorated female paracanoeist at a Paralympic Games of all time. She was also the only female paddler to medal in both the Kayak and Va'a races at the same Games.Now a trailblazer for the sport in the UK and the paracanoe community around the world, Emma's achievements were recognised in the 2017 Queen's New Year Honours list, where she was awarded an MBE for her services to canoeing. Emma has since joined forces with fellow elite athletes and the Women's Sports Trust to challenge the lack of diversity in sports bodies at senior and boardroom levels as part of the ‘Unlocked' initiative.We really hope you enjoy this episode! 

In this episode we talk to Lauren Duncan, an account director at Linkedin. Lauren is originally from a small town in the West Coast of Scotland near Loch Lomond. She attended Glasgow University and studied Political Science whilst working full time as a hotel manager.After graduating she began working as a Consultant for the global recruitment agency Michael Page giving her the first real taste of working with public sector organisations. She then moved to online recruitment with Total Jobs which in turn gave her the opportunity to relocate to England where she spent 7 years working in senior sales leadership roles with UCAS (Universities Colleges Admissions Service) and QAA (The Quality Assurance Agency). Those opportunities deepened her passion to work in the not for profit and public sector world and critically gave her the experience and credibility to join her bucket list and current employer LinkedIn in 2019. She's married to Moray and together they welcomed their first child Nicole in March 2021. They live in Cheltenham and spend their free time exploring the Cotswolds, cooking and enjoying Formula One. Lauren also loved to draw and search Netflix for the most recent outrageous documentary.During this episode we talk about Laurens background and how she got to where she is today with LinkedIn. We explore how LinkedIn look after their staff and encourage them to act as an owner.We also talk about the importance of having a LinkedIn profile and how it can aid you in landing your dream job.We hope you enjoy this episode.

On this episode we talk to Commodore Mel Robinson CBE who was appointed Commander of the Maritime Reserves in February 2020. Mel was commissioned in 1993 as a warfare officer and has served in a number of frigates and minor war vessels. This included command of HMS EXPRESS and Wales URNU, an assignment that was the first of its kind in terms of a woman taking sea command of a warship. To make her career work and balance the demands of her young family, Mel left regular service in 2003. She started Full Time Reserve Service in 2005, and specialised in HR, leading the Naval Personnel Team (Reserves) whilst managing the Full Time Reserve Service scheme for the Royal Navy. After joining the Maritime Reserves in 2016 she was promoted to Captain into a new role in Navy Command Headquarters as Deputy Assistant Chief of Staff (Reserves) responsible for reserves policy, finance, recruitment, communications and business development. She is a Cardiff University graduate and a personnel career field specialist. She is a respected and active Fellow of both the CIPD and Royal Society of Arts, certified Master Coach and an alumnus of the Windsor Leadership Trust. She was awarded a distinction by the Open University Business School for her Master's Level dissertation in Mentoring. Her career path whilst unorthodox has delivered significant changes in Reserves personnel management. She designed the Whole Force Career Management Cell and led the strategic alignment of COMMARRES Headquarters into the Navy Command Operating Model ready for further integration through Programme HECATE. She is the author of the Maritime Reserves People Strategy. As an innovator, she is the architect of the seamless transfer process (Project FIREFLY) and most recently wrote the Maritime Reserves Directive against which the Royal Naval Reserve and Royal Marines Reserve are being modernised. This has already escalated the Maritime Reserves contribution to the Overseas Patrol Squadron and Lead Commando Group and has triggered a once in a generation transformation of the Maritime Reserves that must be delivered in her tenure. Mel Robinson is very proud to be a Reservist. She is a values based, people focused leader of change that considers personnel, their families and (uniquely in the Maritime Reserves), their employers, in equal measure. She is the Programme Director for both the Future Reserves 2020 Programme and Reserves Transformation and is responsible for building a Reserve that best supports a Global, Modern, Ready Navy on 21st Century operations at home and abroad. She is married to Vice Admiral Guy Robinson, Chief of Staff to Supreme Allied Commander Transformation. They have adult children at University in Guildford and Winchester, a miniature schnauzer and run family homes in Hampshire and Norfolk, Virginia. Hobbies include group fitness, armchair rugby and hillwalking.

On this episode we talk to our very own Becky Hopwood from the RFS Career Academy. Becky is the Coaching and Mentoring lead for the career academy and is now a ‘veteran' spouse after her husband retired from the Royal Engineers after 16 years. In 12 years of moving around together they moved 9 times so she really understands the challenges of trying to have a career and a good family life! Becky first got involved with Recruit For Spouses after she took a step back from her HR career after having their first daughter. She had started her coaching qualification and had started a small CV writing business with military spouses. That was back in 2016... Becky now manages all of the people involved in either of the programmes and that includes speaking to all of the military spouses and the coaches and mentors!If you'd like to find out more about the RFS Career Academy, click this link... - https://careers.recruitforspouses.co.uk

On this episode we talk to Alix, Kate and Boo from Forces Wives Challenge...Alix is currently based in Glasgow where she runs her own marketing consultancy and training business in the field of life sciences. Boo is based in Wiltshire and runs her own business focused on Sports and Physical Rehabilitation.Kate is currently based in Buckinghamshire where she is working as a GP.They along with 9 other ladies are set to become the world's first all-female team to retrace the steps of one of the most important missions in World War II history.We can hear about the selection process, the training and how they're feeling.We hope you enjoy the episode!  

In this episode we're joined by Pip and Jools from Edge NLP!At Edge NLP their aim is to not only teach, but to guide, inspire, motivate and help people change their lives.We talk about how they do that and how important it is to take a step back and evaluate the way you do things and present yourself.Everyone at Edge has a real passion for NLP, they combine passion with a zest for life and take great pleasure in creating extraordinary training experiences.Whether you're at a cross roads in your life and in need of some inspiration, you're keen to become a coach or you're interested in how NLP can benefit your business, you should check them out.This is their website - https://edgenlp.co.ukWe hope you enjoy the episode!

This week we're joined by Steve Leach who has served as a member of Alexander Mann Solutions' Executive Team since 2005.  Having joined the business in 1999, he's has held a variety of operational, management and executive roles and is currently Managing Director, UK & Ireland.  Passionate about enabling the AMS team to be the best they can be, Steve's focus is working with our clients to develop relationships and solutions to enable success through the delivery of innovative, value creating Talent Acquisition and Management solutions.  A recognised thought leader, Steve is a regular contributor to news articles and fundamentally believes that people are the foundation of success.We hope you enjoy the episode! 

The number 13 is unlucky for some... Not for us though because this week we're talking to Jo Salter, the UK's very first female fighter jet pilot! Jo Salter flew the Tornado ground attack aircraft with 617 Squadron in the Royal Air Force. She later became an inspirational speaker and in November 2016 she joined PwC as a director and Chief of Staff, responsible for digital capabilities within the People and Organisation practice.Jo has first hand experience of challenge and change, requiring tenacity, determination, flexibility and an excellent sense of humour. She's backed by a degree in Electronic Systems Engineering and an MBA. Her inspirational speeches have introduced her to a vast range of businesses and, whether it be 25 at a breakfast briefing in The Ivy or 3000 at an international conference centre, Jo entertains, challenges and inspires. She is also the author of two books focusing on using personal energy for high achievement.We hope you enjoy our chat with Jo! 

This week, as part of our Diversity Month, we are honoured to be joined by Penny Mansfield CBE who is the director of One Plus One.One Plus One is a UK charity that creates resources that strengthen relationships.Relationships are as diverse and as complicated as they are necessary and fulfilling.Whether romantic, platonic or professional, you'll find Penny's insights and knowledge timeless and important - especially in our current climate. Penny and her diverse team help couples and parents through a range of web-services.Their online learning equips frontline workers with the skills to offer timely relationship support in a face to face setting.Based on the latest research evidence, their work promotes early action in relationship support.Aiming to equip people with the skills and knowledge to work on relationship issues before they become entrenched. The result is couples, parents and children who are happier, healthier, and more successful."We really hope you enjoy the episode! 

On this weeks episode we're talking to military spouse Louise Fetigan who is the founder of the charity Little Troopers. Louise herself served in the British Army and saw active service in Kosovo. Her husband is also currently a serving soldier and has undertaken seven operational tours of duty since their daughter was born in 2003. Louise is passionate about helping all the Little Troopers at home through the anxiety of deployment, the process of moving house and school frequently and keeping parent and child connected having experienced first hand the impact it can have. We talk to her about what is changing now and how the pandemic has affected our military families. We hope you enjoy the episode and please share it far and wide! 

Our guest this week is Heather Sharp from Forces Wives Challenge.Heather graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in 2005, commissioning into the Royal Engineers. Throughout her 10 year career in the Regular Army, she had the opportunity to deploy to Afghanistan and take part in expeditions around the world - enjoying all the opportunities for adventure and travel that a military career offers. In 2007, Heather married a fellow serving officer and when their family grew, the pressures of bringing up a young family meant that in 2014 she took the difficult decision to leave. Heather now saw life on the other side of the fence and found it much tougher. Her eyes were opened to the incredible sacrifices made by those that hold the fort at home and she really wanted to give something back by providing opportunities for this community to have a taste of the exciting adventures, teamwork and sense of belonging she had enjoyed in the military. And so the Forces Wives Challenge (FWC) was born, seeking to unite women with partners in the military through adventure and challenge.Since its creation in 2018, FWC has completed a number of exciting adventures from the flagship expedition to Chile where they climbed the highest volcano in the world, to the iconic Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, the National 3 Peaks and Pen y Fan in the Brecon Beacons. FWC is growing rapidly with over the 600 members nationally and their events having raised over £30,000 for charity!We hope you enjoy the episode.

This week we are talking to Angela Forbes and Bernie Graham from BuildForce about why networking is such an important element to career progression and transition.Angela Forbes gained a Bovis scholarship in 1997 as an undergraduate Commercial Manager and has been with the Lendlease business for 23 years. She has also been a Commercial Director in the London construction business for the last 8 years.Angela created the Lendlease ex-military initiative in 2008, She's an ambassador of the construction industry within the Armed Forces and was a founding partner of BuildForce at its inception in 2011.In addition, Angela has been a non-executive director of a housing provider and social regeneration charity; a board director of Be Onsite – a not-for-profit company dedicated to helping disadvantaged people and a school governor at Chobham Academy in Stratford, London (a Harris Federation school)."Bernie Graham is a Psychologist and Director of Mental Health Support. He's worked in the mental health field for over 25 years and has extensive experience of supporting people with ‘severe and enduring' mental health problems. Staff training has been an intrinsic part of his work throughout his career. Bernie is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine and a member of the British Psychological Society.In 2006, Bernie launched MHS in order to focus on delivering a range of courses and workshops aimed at raising awareness of mental health issues and how to address them.Bernie offers 1-2-1 counselling and group workshops to the BuildForce programme and runs regular stress management workshops for our veterans, interactive workshops exploring the relationship between stress and mental health enabling participants to recognise the signs/symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression; relating this to a construction site and how this can affect site safety."We hope you enjoy the episode and if you would like to find out any more information about BuildForce, just head to their website - www.buildforce.org.uk 

Our guest in this episode is Charlotte Sjoberg, a Communications Director at Virgin.She's also a Military spouse and talks about the reality of juggling a full-time role for a big Corporate Brand with a young family. She also tells us how she started working for Virgin.Charlotte has been “doing” communications for nearly two decades now – Having cut her teeth in the financial sector including launching and floating one of them, she's racked up a fair chunk of experience across internal and external communication over the years.Having joined Virgin Red, the Virgin Group's new rewards club, as Corporate Affairs Director at the beginning of 2020, 2021 sees Charlotte take on a new role within the Virgin family as Communications Director for Virgin UK (alongside her Virgin Red responsibilities too).Living in the middle of nowhere with her two young boys and serving husband, she enjoys the quiet life – which is fortunate during lockdown – giving her plenty of time to support her local vineyards. When she's not working or entertaining the family, she's teaching herself to play the piano, dabbles in musical theatre (she used to be a professional tap dance teacher) and eating way too much pasta.

On this episode we'll be talking to an incredible lady named Emma Spencer who is currently on the front line of the NHS fighting Covid-19 as a resuscitation nurse. On top of this she's a military spouse with two young children under five and to make things just that little bit harder, her husband is deployed on a 6 month tour in Somalia.We'll also be talking about a career within the NHS with Gemma Wright who is the programme lead for NHS employers. She'll be telling us all about the NHS step into health programme.We hope you enjoy this episode and please once again share far and wide.

Our guest this week is Karen Sampford, an Actress based in Oxfordshire.  She featured in the feel good film of 2020 Military Wives where she played one of the Choir Members.Karen talks to us about what the film meant to her personally and how it gave her a depth of understanding to the challenges military spouses face.As well as acting her other passion is walking around the countryside with her dog Sadie.We hope you enjoy the episode and as ever if you enjoy it, let us know. It would also be great if you could share it for us.

Our guest this week is Martyn Shaw from our coaching programme.​Martyn is an Operations Planning Team Leader for BAE Systems and he's one of our many valued volunteer coaches who provides support and guidance to military spouses through our Career AcademyHis commitment and positivity towards the programme has not only supported spouses helping them to achieve their professional goals but it has helped him in his professional career too.​We talk about all of the benefits of having a coach and how it can help you find the career you really want.If you have listened to the series so far we would love to know what you think so please feel free to drop a comment below, write a review or even better share with a friend!We hope you enjoy the episode!

This week we are honoured to be joined by Beca Lyne-Pirkis - Cook, Food Writer & Presenter.⁠⁠Beca burst onto our screens in 2013 when she became a semi-finalist in the 4th series of The Great British Bake Off. ⁠⁠Since leaving the tent, Beca has gone on to have her own cookery TV series on S4C, 2 cookery books - Bwyd Beca/My Food which was out in 2017, and her latest book - Feeding My Army which was published in September 2020. ⁠⁠Beca can often be heard on the radio waves as a guest talking about different food topics as well as guest presenting every so often on the Breakfast Show on BBC Radio Cymru 2.⁠⁠Beca has taught at cookery schools across the UK, appeared at many food festivals and is a regular at Borough Market in London in the demo kitchen as well as writing recipes of the market's website. Beca is also on the advisory committee for the Food Standard's Agency in Wales as well as being an Ambassador for the Welsh Govt : Healthy Wales campaign. ⁠⁠On top of all that, Beca is also studying full time for a BSc in Human Nutrition and Dietetics at Cardiff Metropolitan University.⁠⁠In her spare(!) time, Beca enjoys running, swimming, cycling and CrossFit and has completed 7 marathons and an ultra-marathon to date.⁠⁠Beca is also a very proud military wife to her husband Matt and is Mam to Mari (8) and Alys (6).⁠We hope you enjoy the episode!

In this episode we welcome the incredible Gemma Morgan!Trained at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Gemma was the first woman to be awarded the Carmen Sword from HRH Princess Royal, for outstanding performance as a young officer. A former international athlete, Captaining Wales in lacrosse and competing across three World Cups. Gemma was awarded the ‘Most Valuable Player in Europe' at the 1997 Championships. Gemma is an Ambassador for the Charity ‘Help for Heroes', supporting wounded, injured and sick British Armed Forces Veterans.  Part of the BBC TV documentary ‘Gareth Malone and the Invictus Games Choir', and collaborated with HRH Prince Harry and Warner Brothers in the promotion of ‘Dunkirk', the movie. Having suffered post-traumatic stress as a result of her military service, Gemma campaigns to promote better mental health awareness in organisations today. We'll be talking about Gemma's journey through her mental health and how she has overcome one of the greatest battles with her own mind.. 

In this episode we welcome the formidable Lucy Feltham Leonelli, who was introduced to Recruit for Spouses back in 2011 by the charity Heropreneurs. Lucy, an executive search specialist had her eyes opened to underemployment in the military spouse community when she first started working with RFS and was determined to help raise awareness.We talk about the Journey from helping RFS approach No 10 to her move to LA, her tragic accident where she very nearly lost her life to riding naked on a rollercoaster for her book ‘FOMO'We know you'll love this podcast which talks about life, facing your fears and not missing out...

We are incredibly excited to bring you the first ever episode!It's a chance for you to get to know who we are and what we do and also to find out what you can expect the podcast to be about.We have some brilliant guests lined up for you over the next few weeks and months so please sit back, relax and enjoy!Oh and please share, we are so passionate about the content of this podcast and how it can help military spouses that we want as many people as possible to hear it! Thanks