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The Shapes Academy 

Online Programme for Leaders in Healthcare

Escape the overwhelm, support your team, and love your work again. 

 

A 6-month online programme of training, tools and resources to help you get more time and headspace, stop doing it all, and teach your team to beat burnout.

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You're a doctor, healthcare professional or manager in health or social care, doing a demanding day job and also supporting a team. That's exhausting!

You're worried about your team's ability to cope with the pressure of their workload, and wonder if you are doing enough to support them.

The guilt is huge. But you just don't have the time or resources to do it all. Everyone is stretched thin.

The Shapes Academy supports leaders like you to retain your staff and reclaim your wellbeing. 

With simple tools that help teams beat stress, take control of their workload, and transform the way they communicate, you and your team can break the cycle of burnout and thrive at work.

The Shapes Academy...

...is a 6 month programme of core content video lessons, monthly live group coaching support and library of bitesize videos and activities which teaches you how to use The Shapes Toolkit coaching, productivity and resilience tools so that you can... 

 

Tackle your own stress

Learn tools to help you create more time and headspace, respond better to stressful events, and prioritise more effectively.

Follow our nine core content programme of videos, activities and handouts to apply the Shapes Toolkit principles to your own work.

Lead without having to 'fix it' for everyone

Find out how to use The Shapes Tools in one-to-one conversations and take a coaching approach when your team face challenges. 

Monthly deep-dive masterclasses give you the coaching and community to help you put what you learn into practice.

Help your team beat burnout too

Create a workplace where everyone can beat burnout and work happier.

Use our library of bitesize resources, team activities and quick trainings - including a brand new 5 minute Shapes Booster video every month - to share the tools with your team and colleagues. 

Ongoing membership, coaching, mentoring and resources available

At the end of the 6 month programme, you can choose to continue as a member of the Shapes Academy with ongoing access to all the resources, monthly group coaching & peer support - all at a special rate ONLY available to alumni.

JOIN THE SHAPES ACADEMY TODAY

The Shapes Academy Success Path

The Shapes Academy provides training using the Shapes Toolkit practical tools by following our six step plan …

DISCOVER THE SHAPES TOOLKIT

"I'd recommend it if you're busy and drained."

As a busy GP/ PCN CD  The Shapes Academy has been absolutely brilliant. I feel much more in control over my ‘NHS overwhelm’. I love the app so I can dip in and remind myself about the tools. 

Rachel and Annie are just full of knowledge and tips and just get what it is like working in the NHS in a high stress job. The meetings with them feel safe and personal and  listening to how other people are doing is very normalising and reassuring.

I'd recommend this if you just feel too busy and drained, you are saying yes to everything and never having time to look after yourself. For me this was the first step to change. I now value my own time more and feel like I have a lot more choice in my life. I’d give this a 5 star rating in every way and am so glad I signed up. Thank you." 

GP, South London

The Shapes Academy is for health and social care professionals in high-pressure roles, who want to learn new ways to work so you can find work life balance and help your team more effectively.

 

It combines live monthly masterclasses, bitesize video resources and done-for-you resources to share with your team.

 

You'll learn step-by-step strategies, tools and resources so you can manage your own workload AND support your team for resilience, productivity and wellbeing so you can...

Maintain a good work-life balance even when working in difficult times

Feel on top of your workload and able to prioritise and deal with daily challenges

Control your stress by changing your response to demands and expectations

Lead a happy team that is connected and thriving working in a hybrid or virtual environment

Promote trust and reduce conflict by enabling frank and honest conversations

Empower your team to support each other and solve their own problems rather than fixing it yourself

Right now, things are tough.

We're experiencing unprecedented levels of stress and burnout in healthcare.

Staff are going off sick, retiring early or just leaving... and of course, there's even more work for those who remain.

In the past, dedicated people just worked longer and harder. Doctors and healthcare professionals sacrificed their own wellbeing to support the system.

But we're at capacity.

People are exhausted.

There's simply no more flex in the system. And today's new ways of working have left leaders more isolated and teams more fragmented than ever. 
 

It's time to change how we work.

If you're a doctor, manager or senior professional working in a high stakes, high stress sector like health and social care who feels...

  • Overwhelmed by escalating workload,
  • Stuck on a hamster wheel of stress and frustration,
  • Like you never get to the bottom of your to-do list,
  • Responsible for making sure everyone else is OK (on top of everything else)...

...And you KNOW deep down things need to change - but wonder how (or if!) that's even possible in a toxic system..

You're in the right place. 

Join a movement of healthcare professionals shifting from overworked and overwhelmed to calm, confident and back in control.

 

Overwhelming demand and workload is causing unprecedented levels of stress and burnout, and staff are going off sick, retiring early or leaving, creating even more work for those who remain.

In the past, healthcare professionals have absorbed the work by working longer and harder, often sacrificing their own home life and wellbeing, but now they are at capacity and there's no more flex in the system.

If nothing changes, the system will simply fail.

Today's working environment has made teams more fragmented than ever and healthcare leaders are feeling an increasing sense of isolation, stress and fatigue, combined with the overwhelming workload.

You may feel worried about your team's ability to cope, feel responsible and exhausted trying to 'fix it' for everyone. You may be concerned that you are not doing enough to support them - but you don't have the time or resources needed to do a great job. 

The Resilient Team Academy helps leaders retain their staff by building successful teams that feel better, are in control of their workload, and thriving at work.

"We revisited our whole practice well-being as a team"

Thank you so much. We revisited our whole practice well-being as a team following our Shapes work and last week, I used the 5 questions you’d suggested with the GP team. I loved the compassionate leadership thinking behind these and how this lead onto both self compassion and consideration of others we work alongside too.

Phil, GP PARTNER

 

What does the Shapes Academy give you?

Leadership training, done-for-you tools and online resources – all at your finger tips.

 
Live training

Monthly group coaching masterclasses with access to replays if you can’t make it

Team resources library

Videos and activities to help your team handle challenges and tackle stress

The Shapes toolkit

Core content training including handouts, videos and activities.

Peer connection

A thriving community of like-minded peers to share your insights with and ask for support from.

App for your phone

Instant access to all the resources on your phone via a dedicated app.

Shapes Boosters

Each month, get a 5-minute video plus a choice of bitesize resources. Succinct. Helpful. Practical.

PLUS SPECIAL BONUSES 

On joining today you will also receive instant access to the following:

Wellbeing QI Toolkit

A practical toolkit to help you take care of your wellbeing - and meet QOF targets for GP practices.

Beat Stress & Thrive Course

Our signature 4-module e-course to help you move out of overwhelm, and take back control. (If you're on the edge of burnout - do this first!)

The StressLess Dashboard

A 72-page eBook, with practical tips on managing your own wellbeing, so you can keep calm and get more energy in your life

SO HOW WILL THIS WORK?

We know that "busy" is an understatement when it comes to your diary. Here's how you could fit the Shapes Academy into a typical month...

WEEK ONE

Get your bitesize Shapes Booster Video delivered to your inbox (5min max!) Watch, reflect on the concept, and start trying it our in your day-to-day interactions.

WEEK TWO

Dive deeper with the Core Content Module for that month's Shape. Watch a 15 minute video and complete the accompanying worksheet. 

WEEK THREE

Join the live 90 minute Masterclass to put what you've learned into practice. Enjoy peer support, time to reflect, and ideas on how to use the Shape to tackle your current challenges.

WEEK FOUR

Bring the bitesize resources (video & slides) to your team meeting to empower your colleagues to work happier. You can choose the 20 or 40 minute option (with the 5 minute activity as backup in case things don't go to plan!)

JOIN TODAY Discover the done-for-you training tools and resources for you to create a happy, thriving and better connected team, all by doing less, not more.

The Shapes Academy Programme* includes

  • The Shapes Toolkit Core Training Programme
  • Monthly Shapes Booster videos & bitesize resources
  • Monthly Live 90-min masterclass & replay
  • A library of team building videos, activities and resources
  • A private online community

AND special Bonuses: 

  • Beat Stress & Thrive e-course (worth £247)
  • Stress-less dashboard e-book (worth £20)
  • Wellbeing QI toolkit (worth £197) 

*After your 6 months programme, you'll be offered discounted access to our exclusive Shapes Academy membership available to alumni only.  

 

CLICK HERE TO JOIN THE SHAPES ACADEMY

WANT TO JOIN WITH YOUR ORGANISATION?

Team membership is an affordable way for healthcare trusts to buy their teams leadership training.

Please contact us to find out how the resources will benefit your organisation, and find out about bulk membership options.

Try the Shapes Academy with ZERO risk with our 30-day 100% no quibbles money back guarantee.  

"It’s given me more confidence"

It's given me more confidence to try things that I wouldn't have tried before. My team feel I’m more approachable and I reflect on things more before coming up with solutions rather than panicking and trying to rescue everyone

Debbie, Practice Manager

Overwhelming demand and workload is causing unprecedented levels of stress and burnout, and staff are going off sick, retiring early or leaving, creating even more work for those who remain.

In the past, healthcare professionals have absorbed the work by working longer and harder, often sacrificing their own home life and wellbeing, but now they are at capacity and there's no more flex in the system.

If nothing changes, the system will simply fail.

Today's working environment has made teams more fragmented than ever and healthcare leaders are feeling an increasing sense of isolation, stress and fatigue, combined with the overwhelming workload.

You may feel worried about your team's ability to cope, feel responsible and exhausted trying to 'fix it' for everyone. You may be concerned that you are not doing enough to support them - but you don't have the time or resources needed to do a great job. 

The Resilient Team Academy helps leaders retain their staff by building successful teams that feel better, are in control of their workload, and thriving at work.

 

Is the Shapes Academy right for you? 

 

The Shapes Academy isn't for everyone.

Here's how to know if the programme is right for you:

  • You work in health or social care, whether as clinical staff or as a leader or manager
  • You're under a lot of pressure and you and your team are facing a sometimes overwhelming workload
  • You often feel stressed or anxious about work, it's a challenge to set boundaries (like leaving on time or taking a lunchbreak), and sometimes you feel responsible for everything.
  • You know something needs to change for you and your team to break the cycle of exhaustion and burnout - and you're willing to do what's needed to create a workplace where you can thrive.
  • You're interested in learning new ways to work that you and your team and colleagues can try together, so you can support each other.

 

The Shapes Academy is NOT for you if:

  • You don't work in healthcare - we run a separate Shapes Academy especially for those in commercial organisations (drop us a line at [email protected] to find out more about the training and support we can offer you!)
  • You think change is solely down to individuals and don't want to share new techniques with your team or colleagues
  • You're looking only for self-care and wellbeing advice - The Shapes Academy contains tools and strategies to actively change how you work and help you take a coaching approach with your team
  • You're convinced the system needs to change before you'll try anything different

FAQ


About us

The Shapes Academy is hosted by Dr Rachel Morris and Annie Hanekom who have extensive experience of working in the NHS and other high stress organisations with teams under pressure.


The Shapes Academy was created by Dr Rachel Morris

A former GP, Rachel knows what it's like to work in the NHS and feel exhausted and overwhelmed.

Through training as a coach, she discovered some productivity, coaching and resilience tools which made a huge difference to how she lived and worked. She has seen first hand the difference that these tools have made to leaders and their teams and put them together to create the Shapes toolkit.

She founded Wild Monday and now works with doctors and other leaders, sharing the Shapes Tools and helping professionals in high stress jobs beat burnout and work happier. 

Rachel is a speaker, trainer and executive and team coach. She created the Shapes Toolkit, a series of coaching and productivity tools to enhance team resilience which she delivers around the UK to doctors and other professionals in high-stress jobs. 

She worked as a GP in the NHS for over 20 years and set up and led the Professionalism Course for Cambridge University School of Clinical Medicine teaching leadership, team working and resilience. She’s also been a tutor for the PGCert in Medical Education at the Cambridge University Institute for Continuing Education.

Rachel is the host of the popular podcast You Are Not a Frog which ranks in the Top 100 UK Apple Business Podcast Chart.


Annie Hanekom is a co-host and teacher in the Academy

Annie is an executive coach, facilitator and leadership practitioner. She has spent more than 16 years in the consulting and leadership development arena both in the UK and in South Africa, currently based in Cambridge in the UK, serving global clients in both locations. She has coached and advised on leadership, team and personal effectiveness and focuses on building deep self awareness in individuals.

Annie combines experience in consulting with her strong interpersonal skills and draws on her endurance athletics passion and experience to focus on building leaders' potential, providing thinking partnership and working with individuals and teams to evolve their awareness of themselves. She does this through advising on people strategy, leadership programme development, facilitation and executive and team coaching.

“I really, genuinely recommend the Shapes Toolkit. It’s had a real impact on teams and individuals, it’s accessible, applicable and transferrable across teams.” 

Teri Putnam, Head of Delivery

The Shapes Toolkit®️ - transforming healthcare leadership and their teams

The Shapes Toolkit is the one of the key things missing from most leadership training.

The Shapes are memorable, easy to use and can give the team a shared framework and language to use when talking through issues of resilience and productivity.

The Shapes Toolkit®️

consists of:

The Zone of Power

Recognising the things you have control over.

This empowers teams to take more responsibility over the things that they can control and enables them to be more proactive.

The Stressors Hexagon

The 6 causes of workplace stress.

Enables people to identify the potential causes of stress in their workplace and make the necessary changes.

The Vortex of Busyness

The 8 ‘Ways to wellbeing’ 

Enables teams to have conversations to increase their wellbeing and recognise when colleagues are heading towards burnout.

The Coaching Pentagon

A simple coaching model for better conversations.

Enables managers to have empowering conversations in which team members are able to solve their own problems.

In the Corner

How we react badly when stressful things happen.

Helps team members recognise the thinking which triggers their stress, and then change their response to stressful events.

The Prioritisation Grid

A time and workload management matrix.

Helps people to prioritise their workload and to set aside time to deal with the important things first.

The Drama Triangle

Identifying when you are stuck in a victim, a persecutor or a rescuer role.

This helps people to identify when they are taking an unhelpful role, and helps them move away from a victim, rescuer or persecutor mentality, and empower others to do so too.

The Shapes Toolkit is a done-for-you set of tools based on neuroscience and a coaching approach, and forms the core content for the Shapes Academy.

These 7 shapes provide the mindset and tools to help you and your colleagues to thrive. 

You can start using these today to help have better conversations with your team, take a coaching approach and implement this framework directly into your organisation, right where you are.

"I use the tools every day"

Before I started the Shapes Academy I had 13 projects on the go and 10K emails in my inbox. I was stressed, anxious and not coping. Using the Shapes Toolkit transformed my approach. My role is still extremely high pressured. In fact I now have 29 projects on the go - but I actually feel in control! I still receive 50 emails in an hour but using the tools I can quickly assess what's important, what to prioritise, and what to let go. The Academy has given me the ability to be assertive, say no and mean it - reducing conflict with managers and other colleagues. I love knowing I can log on any time I want and watch a quick bite-sized video - I use the tools and resources every day.” 

Mark Thompson, Development Support Manager

Trusted by leading healthcare organisations

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What our members and clients say...

 

"It's a space to think. Sometimes we are so busy doing what we do that we don't think about why we do. It's created a space to think about why do we do what we do and could we be doing it in a better way"

Emma

Clinical Nurse Specialist and Team Leader

"It’s given me more confidence to try things that I wouldn’t have tried before. My team feel I’m more approachable and I reflect on things more before coming up with solutions rather than panicking and trying to rescue everyone"

Debbie

Practice Manager

"We have found the Shapes Toolkit has given us lots of practical advice on dealing with day to day challenges right across our business, and it's presented in such a way that it's really easy for people to recognise no matter what context they are working in."

Matthew Walker, Publishing Director of the Learning for Schools Business

Cambridge University Press

“I really, genuinely recommend the Shapes Toolkit. It’s had a real impact on teams and individuals, it’s accessible, applicable and transferrable across teams.”

Teri Putnam, Head of Delivery

Cambridge Partnership for Education