Ep 47. Karen Burgess, Founder & CEO Petals, with Alice Bailey: Life after Baby Loss

11/06/23 • 60 min

Trigger warning: This episode explores and talks about miscarriage, stillbirth and baby loss.
Baby loss and miscarriage is something that many parents face and yet it is still something that is not openly talked about in today’s society.
In this very special episode, I speak with Karen Burgess, Founder & CEO of the charity Petals, that provides counselling support to families affected by baby loss. Karen and I are joined by Alice. Alice shares with us the story of her daughter, Vera, and the journey that she and her husband, Dave, have been on with Petals.
Together we seek to dispel the stigma surrounding baby loss and encourage those who need support to reach out to specialist services like Petals. Recorded August 2023.
Guest Biography
Karen Burgess is the Founder and CEO of Petals, The Baby Loss Counselling Charity.
Karen has been a practising counsellor since 1998. Alongside running a successful private practice, she gained wide-ranging experience across schools, the NHS, addiction units, workplaces and hospital settings. Since founding the organisation in 2011, Karen has grown Petals into a national charity, with 35 counsellors delivering over 6,000 specialist counselling sessions every year.
Karen has become a leading player in influencing change in the field of baby loss support and in raising awareness of the need for psychological support for bereaved parents. Karen is a member of the Pregnancy and Baby Charities Network, the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Baby Loss and the International Stillbirth Alliance (ISA).
Alice Bailey is a clinical nurse specialist originally from Sheffield. She now lives in Surrey with her husband, Dave, and their three boys, Fred, Ralf and Will.
In 2016, Alice and Dave became first-time parents to their daughter Vera. Vera was sadly stillborn at 38 weeks. Alice and Dave have since been supported by Petals, who have been by their side every step of the way.
Links
www.petalscharity.org

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Ep 46. Nisha Anand, CEO Dream.Org: Finding common ground with unlikely allies

“The humanity that connects us is stronger than what has been created to divide us”.
Nisha Anand is the CEO of Dream.Org, a nonprofit organization that brings people together across racial, social and partisan lines to solve society’s toughest problems. A born change-maker, Nisha was arrested in 1998 while handing out pro-democracy leaflets in the military dictatorship of Myanmar and was sentenced to five years in jail. Her arrest put her on the international stage and changed her thinking on how to bring about lasting change and reform.
This is her story and that of Dream.org, an organisation that was founded by CNN commentator and New York Times bestselling author, Van Jones, and that Nisha has led as CEO since 2019. With her team at Dream.org, Nisha works at the intersection of criminal justice reform, green economics and tech equity, to develop innovative solutions to social and racial justice issues. Recorded August 2023.
Guest Biography
Nisha Anand is an Indian-American activist, mom of two teenagers, and a boundary-busting national leader for social and racial justice. Once a grassroots activist arrested in Burma for påro-democracy demonstrations, Nisha is known today as a leader in cultivating unlikely and unconventional partnerships to create change.
As Dream.Org’s CEO, Nisha guides a team of storytellers, organizers, and policy experts working on some of society’s toughest problems to create a better future for all.
Links
www.dream.org

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Ep 48. Cherie Blair CBE KC, Founder, Cherie Blair Foundation for Women: Enabling economic gender justice

“There is a problem! Business has a problem, the world has a problem, because we are just not utilising the talents, the ambitions, the drive of half the world’s population (the female half)... Economic gender justice is essential both for women’s freedom and equality, but also for the development of the world.”
We are honoured to have on the podcast, Cherie Blair CBE KC!
As the Founder of the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, Cherie has been a relentless advocate for women's rights, particularly in low and middle-income countries. Our discussion delves into her vision for the Foundation, her journey as a leading barrister and King's Counsel in the male-dominated legal profession, and the gendered challenges women still confront today.
Cherie is of course, the wife of the former UK Prime Minister, Tony Blair, and is an inspiration to women across the world. Recorded January 2024.
Guest Biography
Cherie Blair CBE, KC is a leading King’s Counsel with over 35 years’ experience. Cherie is a strong advocate for women’s rights and in 2008 she founded the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women. The Foundation promotes the financial independence of women in low and middle income countries so that they can be financially independent, have a stronger voice in their societies, and, contribute to their communities. Since its inception, the Foundation has had a significant and measurable impact on the lives of more than 250,000 women entrepreneurs in 105 countries especially in Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
Cherie is actively involved in the Foundation, travelling internationally to visit projects and donors and to advocate for women entrepreneurs globally.
Cherie studied law at the London School of Economics (LSE) and is also the Founder and Chair of the pioneering law firm Omnia Strategy where she focuses on cross-border dispute resolution, commercial arbitration, mediation and human rights.
Cherie was awarded a CBE in the 2013 New Year’s Honours List for services to women’s issues and to charities in both the UK and overseas. She is the wife of former UK Prime Minister, Tony Blair. They have 4 children and 8 grandchildren.
Links
Www.cherieblairfoundation.org