Seeing the label, not the person. A Happy Hour Conversation with Sarah Wood.

Show notes:

Yippeee! This week I speaking to expert on care and special needs, comedienne and all round super star Sarah Wood. Sarah has spoken and trained internationally on health care and social services professions - her passion is helping carers and professionals see past issues and limitations to the whole person and their unique potential.

Her son Adam has learning disabilities and has a full life of work and friends, he is a wonderful example of what's possible when we see a person for who they truly are.

I loved these points in particular:

• When our heads are full of angry, stressful thoughts there's no room for the solutions
  It's so useful to know how easily answers come from a calm, settled down mind as it can help us let go of our agitated thoughts more quickly.

• The relationship is everything
  When we prioritise our connection with someone, there's nothing that can't be overcome.

• Listening in the way that the other person speaks
  Sarah talked about her son Adam drawing a picture which expressed that he'd like to have a friendship with a boy he'd lost contact with - that lead on to all kinds of wonderful outcomes for both families.

• Start with yourself
  You can't give anything that you don't have yourself - you need to have self-worth to be able to share that with someone else. Sarah suggests taking the first step onto the path to rediscovering happiness and clarity yourself before you try to help the person that you're caring for.

• You're doing the best job possible
  Even when life feels tough and you feel like you're failing, you're damn amazing - there's no-one who could do better than you are.