October Talk With Barrie Smale from Inspired2learn

It's October, the month of Halloween and the time when the clocks go back and we all get an extra hour in bed. How's the month looking for you and your business?

Today we're talking to Barrie Smale who is a director of Inspired2learn, a Wiltshire based company which offers CMI Management & Leadership qualifications, ILM coaching & mentoring and coach supervision qualifications. 

What’s coming up for your business in Q4?

We have a very busy Autumn ahead. We have recently secured two new contracts with the NHS: Hull Clinical Commissioning Group and the Counter Fraud Authority in Newcastle. Both are investing in key leaders to be trained as coaches and also to achieve the ILM qualification. 

October represents several awareness months, including breast cancer awareness month; black history month and ADHD awareness month. Do these mean anything for you and your business? 

None of these are directly relevant to us but they are all important in terms of nurturing a kind and tolerant society and in supporting scientific endeavour. We’re all key stakeholders of this.

Are you doing anything this quarter for a charity or for a community or volunteer project? 

We are continuing our support of Julia’s House in Devizes. We sponsored fund-raising Race Night last Friday and Clare took part in  their big bike ride on Sunday 10th October - World Mental Health Day. 

Last Sunday was World Mental Health Day – how important is this subject in your business and in your life? 

This is very important to us. On a personal level, Clare and I are very proactive in protecting our time for family, leisure, physical activity and simple rest and relaxation. We have never allowed our business to consume our lives.

In terms of our training and qualification services, a growing area of management & leadership development programmes is the importance of managers and leaders understanding the contribution they need to make to the positive health & well-being of both themselves and their colleagues. 

What practical activities do you participate in at home or at work to protect your mental health and that of your staff?

We work Monday-Friday. I hesitate to say 9-5, but it’s not far off that with some variation when needed. We do not work at weekends unless exceptional circumstances require it. This is rare.

Outside of work, Clare and I are very active: cycling, walking, home gardening and an allotment. We also prioritise time for family and travel as much as we can. This often revolves around our membership of the National Trust and English Heritage. We get great value from each!

Clocks go back this month – an extra hour in bed? How do you feel about the darker nights?

I do prefer the lighter evenings of Spring and Summer. However, I love all four seasons and (most of the time) think we are lucky to have them. The dark nights bring an exhilarating new dimension to mountain biking with lights in our lovely countryside.  

Have you got any events planned you’d like to shout about – either that you are running or attending? 

On a regular basis, Clare runs a series of coaching and mentoring webinars that are highly affordable and details are on our website.

At the end of October we are travelling to support our daughter’s partner who is running the York marathon. He and Alice are hardworking front line NHS workers and we are looking forward to helping them enjoy a lovely weekend. 

After this, Clare and I travel on to Tobermory on Mull for a hard-earned break. We can’t wait for some great walking, spectacular scenery, wildlife watching and whisky sampling!

Have you got any services or special offers you’d like to mention? 

We’d love to give a 10% discount for anyone who purchases a service from us and quotes this feature. 

And finally: 

We’re proud that October is the second month of our 20th year in business. Crikey, the years have flown by! We’ve made plenty of mistakes and experienced some misfortune. We’ve also had some luck and done some things well. So far, the balance has tipped in our favour! Good luck to all other business owners out there.

For more information visit www.inspired2learn.co.uk