Charlotte Hails heads the Public Sector Vertical Strategy for Virgin Media O2 Business, working with customers in UK policing, the Home Office, Health and Local Government. She's an ambitious woman in leadership, who began her career in policing rising to become a Detective Chief Inspector leading people in counter-terrorism, safeguarding and public protection.

But Charlotte’s experiences in policing also reflect the darker side of a workplace culture that women in uniformed services still find themselves having to deal with today. The last few years have highlighted problems of sexual harassment, bullying and misogyny towards women in emergency and armed services across the world.

In this episode, Charlotte reflects on her own experiences in policing, the progress that UK policing is making and the contrast between positive and negative experiences in policing and her subsequent career in the private sector.

Would you like to know more?

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LINKS

• Charlotte's speech to the 2024 Women in Business Awards
• Connect with Charlotte on LinkedIn

Research studies have shown that bullying and harassment have serious medical consequences for people’s physical and psychological health and wellbeing.

But what actually happens to the brain of people targeted by those who engage in this kind of unnecessary, unpleasant and unkind behaviour? Can people who’ve been targeted by bullies learn to recover their confidence and self-esteem, after suffering the harm caused by the behaviour they’ve been subjected to?

Dr. Jennifer Fraser has applied her research mindset to investigate and understand the neuroscience behind bullying, and what it does to the human brain.

Her book, “The Bullied Brain” explores the physical and emotional damage the brain of a bullying victim suffers, and looks into how the brain’s mechanisms for learning and recovery provide hope for the future.

In this episode, you’ll hear about life at the sharp end of bullying neuroscience, as Jen Fraser discusses “The Bullied Brain” - and she gives a preview into her new book (due out later in 2025), “The Gaslit Brain”

Would you like to know more?

Visit priceperrott.com for this episode's show notes, and become a Price Perrott subscriber for exclusive access to additional insights and content.

LINKS

• Purchase The Bullied Brain on Amazon (affiliate link)
• Dr. Jennifer Fraser’s website
• Connect with Dr. Jennifer Fraser on LinkedIn
• Read Jennifer Fraser's blog, The Bullied Brain in Psychology Today
• Exercise your brain with BrainHQ training from Dr. Michael Merzenich

Mark Bouchard has been in law enforcement since 2007 and has a Master’s degree in leadership, studying culture and mental health in policing. He’s the author of “Setting my sights on stigma: thoughts from an injured mind” - a candid and personal exploration of his own mental health journey and PTSD diagnosis.

In this episode, Mark talks openly about some of the critical incidents he’s been involved in as a police officer, and the impact these can have on the mental health and wellbeing of front-line first-responders in the emergency services.

We discuss leadership, and Mark gives practical examples of how leaders can create psychological safety and how we can all encourage and support people to be open about seeking support for their mental health.

What is the role of leadership in setting the culture for a workplace, and what’s actually down to you - as an individual, and in your own teams - when it comes to creating culture, and supporting the people around you, when they need to talk about their mental health?

This episode contains mentions of operational police call-outs, PTSD and suicide. If you think this episode might affect you in any way, you can find links to support resources in the show notes.

Would you like to know more?

Visit priceperrott.com for this episode's show notes, and become a Price Perrott subscriber for exclusive access to additional insights and content.

LINKS

• Mark Bouchard's website
• Connect with Mark on LinkedIn
• Police Mentors channel on YouTube

REFERENCES

• Ontario coroner’s inquiry report (2021) into police suicides
• CIPSRT research publications into stressors and mental health in Canadian public services
• Books from this podcast on Amazon (via affiliate links):
  • Mark Bouchard (2023) - Setting my sights on stigma : thoughts from an injured mind
  • Dr. Kevin Gilmartin (2021) - Emotional survival for law enforcement: A guide for officers and their families (revised edition)
  • Dave Grossman & Lauren Christensen (2008) - On combat: The psychology and physiology of Deadly Conflict in War and in Peace