HOW AUTHENTICITY HELPED ME TO GAIN INFLUENCE | FEATURING PHOTOS & VIDEOS OF THE VISIT | IN COLLABORATION WITH NORTHUMBERLAND ZOO

https://www.northumberlandzoo.co.uk/

https://www.facebook.com/NorthumberlandZoo/

https://www.instagram.com/northumberlandzoo

“The best times we’ve had on Earth, are usually with those we love.”

Van Harden

Something my Mum has massively instilled in me with my career as an Influencer for a long time now, has been ‘shy bairns get nowt.’ So, when I was told my Niece; Erynn, who lives in Scotland, was visiting my Mum and Step-Dad for four days and they invited me to go to Northumberland Zoo, I thought about what I might be able to do to make the trip a little bit more special. So, I called the Zoo and ended up speaking to the lovely Maxine who, in exchange for featuring on I’m NOT Disordered and my social media, offered us all complimentary entry passes! I was so excited to tell the three of them that I called them straight away when really, I ended up wishing I’d held it in longer and told them on the way there so that I could see their faces! Everyone was obviously really happy and very grateful, and I found myself filled with a sense of pride that I hadn’t experienced before. A pride that I have the type of influence that means I can do really nice things for my loved ones. So, I decided to use this blog post – that will feature my photos and videos from the Zoo – to also discuss how I’ve managed to use authenticity to build and gain this level of influence, what it means to me, why it matters to me, and how it feels to be able to use it in a way that benefits those who mean the most to me...

RELATING TO: A LITTLE BOOK OF LEADERSHIP LESSONS BY STEPH EDUSEI

*This book and its PDF were gifted to me by the Author*

BUY THE BOOK ON AMAZON HERE!

“Not ‘little’ in that it was diminished or insignificant, but ‘little’ in that it is, I believe, short and snappy. I want it to be the type of book that people will pick up and think, ‘this doesn’t look too overwhelming to read.’ I want it to be the type of book you can dip in and out of and get something out of every chapter individually, without having to read the whole thing.”

‘Introduction’ of A Little of Leadership Lessons by Steph Edusei

Noticing this book on Steph’s Facebook page (which you can follow here), I was immediately taken by the title and the thought of learning something so profound and professional from someone who I have known for a number of years and have met (I used to volunteer for the Communications and Marketing department of the Hospice Steph is CEO of: St Oswald’s Hospice). I was pleasantly surprised to read in the Introduction of the book that there was going to be ‘key learning points’ and ‘suggestions for further learning’ at the end of every Chapter. As Steph writes though: ‘if you don’t feel it’s important to dig into theories and read around a subject right now then just ignore that bit, I completely understand…’I however, love elements like this! So, I seriously couldn’t wait to get started…

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2025!!! | FAVOURITE BLOG POSTS & COLLABORATIONS, BEST ADVICE & BIGGEST LESSONS, TOP PURCHASES ON AMAZON & ASOS, MOST WATCHED & LISTENED TO, GREATEST MOMENTS & ACHIEVEMENTS, & HOPES & PLANS FOR 2025

“I came to win, to fight. To conquer, to thrive. I came to win, to survive. To prosper, to rise. To fly.”

Fly, Nicki Minaj ft. Rihanna

Yes, here comes another year on I’m NOT Disordered! To celebrate the start of 2025, I thought I’d write this piece about a collection of things from this past year! The post will include favourite blog posts and collaborations from 2024, advice I’d give from the biggest lessons I’ve learnt this past year, as well as my top purchases (from Amazon and ASOS), my most watched TV Shows, Movies, and YouTube videos, and even my top five most listened to on Spotify! Then, I’ll be wrapping up this jam-packed post with my greatest moments and achievements from the entire year, some of my hope for 2025, and a bit of exclusive insight into a few exciting, upcoming plans…

THE SECRETS BEHIND THE POSTS, THE PROCESS OF CREATING THEM, THE STATISTICS, FAVOURITE CONTENT, ADVICE, & SO MUCH MORE!!! | AN EXCLUSIVE LOOK INSIDE I’M NOT DISORDERED IN THE MID-YEAR REVIEW

“It takes more courage to try and fail than not to try and never succeed.”

Nanette Avery

So, I was writing a blog post about my new job (Head of Marketing and Communications for a brand new Company!) and had to go through my archives to ensure I wasn’t repeating myself when I came across a Mid-Year Review from 2020 (you can still read it here) and one from 2022 (which you can also still read, here). And seeing them, has obviously inspired me to create another review from January 2023 – June 2023, but – as is the norm with my blogging ethos – I wanted to create one that was a bit different and (hopefully) better! So, I’ve decided to really delve into the nitty-gritty of the blog posts published during the last six months; to talk about the process of creating them, the statistics of them, advice and additional thoughts around them, and I’ll be including some favourite photos and reels from the last six months of content on my Instagram account (which you can follow here) and my Twitter (which you can follow here). I really hope that it provides insight into all the passion and dedication that truly goes into I’m NOT Disordered…

MID YEAR REVIEW

JANUARY

Favourite pic:

Favourite blog post:

A GUIDE TO EVENTS | MY ONE MILLION READERS PARTY!!! | I'm NOT Disordered (imnotdisordered.co.uk)

In other news…

I’m NOT Disordered turned NINE!!

BUDGET BLOGMAS | DAY TWENTY-FIVE: SERIES RE-CAP | MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Hello, Merry Christmas, and welcome to the final post for I’m NOT Disordered’s Budget Blogmas!

I’m wrapping the series up with a re-cap of each of the posts from this month...

DAY ONE: Introduction

DAY TWO: Why money is so important in blogging & some advice on it

DAY THREE: Budget & free Christmassy activities

DAY FOUR: Ten Christmassy drinks

THE RECOVERY TOOLKIT BOOK TOUR | RELATING TO THE BOOK & A COMPETITION

TW: this post contains discussion of abuse

Book blurb:

‘Have you left an abusive relationship?

Are you still carrying guilt?

Do you still think what happened to you was your fault?

Do you find dealing with new people in your life something to be scared about?

If you’ve answered ‘yes’ to the above questions you are not alone.

Many people who leave an abusive relationship behind are affected by that former relationship in many different ways. Perhaps you feel guilty when making decisions on your own? You may worry about what motivates others to befriend you? Maybe your children are having to re-learn who it is that’s the adult in the room now that your ex-partner has gone from their lives.

If this all sounds familiar then The Recovery Toolkit is the book for you. Written in an easy and accessible style, the book will take you on a journey that is part discovery, part guide.’

‘To start with, congratulations you are an amazing person. What? How can I say that as I have never met you?’

I was approached on Twitter to be one of a few Bloggers who were given an exclusive preview to The Recovery Toolkit and initially, I was sceptical that it’d be relevant to me personally as the book is a twelve week plan to support a person’s journey through Domestic Abuse. Then, in the book’s preface, the Author – Sue Penna, quotes George Orwell with “knowledge is power” and I realized that I could actually, probably take many things from this book!

MID-YEAR REVIEW

As if it’s July already! This year seems to be going fairly quickly, I mean; I feel like a lot has happened in the last six months and this was confirmed when I began looking through the blog post archive to pick out memorable moments…

JANUARY

I’m NOT Disordered’s Seventh Birthday

www.imnotdisordered.co.uk/2020/01/happy-seventh-birthday-im-not-disordered.html

In my post celebrating the blog’s seventh Birthday, I decided to compile a list of highlights with one post from every month of 2019! I really enjoyed going back over some of my biggest accomplishments and the amazing opportunities I’d had as a result of I’m NOT Disordered’s success and popularity. I also talked about how I started blogging in my little hospital room as a means of communicating with friends and family and to process things for myself and contemplated how shocking it is that something so small and simple could have amounted to something so huge and important. And to think that I’ve managed to maintain my blo9 for so long and to be able to watch it go from strength to strength has been hugely rewarding.

My Tendon Surgery

http://www.imnotdisordered.co.uk/2020/01/the-connection-between-mental-physical.html

I actually surprised myself with how long it took me to blog about my tendon surgery and I chose to do it by talking about the connection between mental and physical health. For the readers who hadn’t been following my tendon journey on my Twitter, I told the entire story about how Minor Injuries told me that my thumb was fine and needed to be put in warm water, to me needing emergency surgery on it two days later. I think it took me so long to put things into a blog post because I was struggling so much mentally to cope with the pain of the injury and surgery and it meaning that I had to say no to things – something which I’ve always struggled with!

BLOGMAS 2019 – POST TWENTY TWO : A ROUND-UP OF BLOGMAS 2019

Thanks to a poll on my Twitter back in November, my wonderful followers decided that I should publish a blog post and film a vlog every day for the entirety of December! 

So welcome to December 22nd…

I thought that I’d take this opportunity – with this being the last post before the Etsy competition launches tomorrow (December 23^rd) – to remind you of all the prizes that can be won and give a little brief account of each Blogmas post, what they were about, what my favourite parts were, and the links for everything!


POST ONE saw the announcement of this year’s Christmassy collaboration with Etsy! After the success of last year’s partnership with Cats Protection, it seemed like a good idea to work with another company on a bit of a different project. In this post, I talked a bit about why I believe a person shouldn’t be labelled as shallow for appreciating material things and that it’s important to recognize products that can boost your mental health. I also included links to all TEN Etsy stores taking part in the collaboration/competition.

POST TWO was a change of plan! I’d originally planned on talking about the York Christmas Market I had been meaning to visit that day but for various reasons I decided not to go and instead, I used the post to talk about how it’s important to pace yourself at Christmas. It can be a pretty full-on time of the year with lots of events/parties, meetings with friends and family, and numerous other fun, festive activities so it’s crucial for your mental health that you prioritize things to avoid burning yourself out and losing enjoyment.

BLOGMAS 2019 – POST FIFTEEN : COLOUR YOUR LIFE CLUB | ETSY COLLABORATION | AD

Thanks to a poll on my Twitter back in November, my wonderful followers decided that I should publish a blog post and film a vlog every day for the entirety of December!

So welcome to December 15th…

Today is all about my collaboration with one very special brand on Etsy, in this post I’ll be reviewing the products they sent to me and on December 23rd you can enter a competition to win these products and the remaining three that I’ll be reviewing every other day this month!



I thought for a while about what I’d write on this post and initially, I thought I’d talk about the stigma of mental health meaning that myself – and lots of others – keep it secret and try to hide things when we’re struggling. And then I realized I wrote about that like, seven posts ago and I groaned at the thought of having to create new content for a further ten days! 

So, instead, I’ll be talking about each of the three slogans on the Colour Your Life Club badges you can win in the competition…



‘It’s ok not to be ok’

I think that especially at this time of year there’s a lot of pressure on people to be ok and to enjoy the most festive time of the year; but actually, it can be a particularly difficult time for a lot of people. The happiness and buzz of Christmas can sometimes be overwhelming and seeing everyone else have so much fun and be happy can seem to magnify just how much you’re struggling.

BLOGMAS 2019 – POST ELEVEN : POSITIVE INSTINCT | ETSY COLLABORATION | AD

Thanks to a poll on my Twitter back in November, my wonderful followers decided that I should publish a blog post and film a vlog every day for the entirety of December!

So welcome to December 11th…

Today is all about my collaboration with one very special brand on Etsy, in this post I’ll be reviewing the products they sent to me and on December 23rd you can enter a competition to win these products and the remaining five that I’ll be reviewing every other day this month!

 

So, at first, I had no clue how I was going to write an entire post about a cup and then I realized that maybe I could use the company’s name (Positive Instinct) as inspiration instead! So, I thought I’d talk a little about positivity, how I lost it, how I got it back, and how I maintain it…





I think that after the abuse positivity became very hard to come by because I honestly believe it made me into a different person. I think it’s inevitable that a trauma – of any kind – will change things for you and will have an impact on your personality, your ethics, morals, and all of the little things that make you who you are. I mean, before the abuse started when I was fifteen, I had had a very innocent and sheltered childhood and when you’ve experienced very little adversary in your life, it leaves you feeling pretty positive and trusting of others. So, the abuse was such a shock to the system that it felt as though it completely wiped away my personality and replaced it with an angrier and more negative one. By the time the abuse ended – after six months – I didn’t recognize myself.

BLOGMAS 2019 – POST NINE : NUDGE CARDS | ETSY COLLABORATION | AD

Thanks to a poll on my Twitter back in November, my wonderful followers decided that I should publish a blog post and film a vlog every day for the entirety of December! 

So welcome to December 9th…

Today is all about my collaboration with one very special brand on Etsy, in this post I’ll be reviewing the products they sent to me and on December 23rd you can enter a competition to win these products and the remaining six that I’ll be reviewing every other day this month!

The fourth product in the collaboration are the fantastically cute and useful Nudge Cards by the appropriately named company; Nudge Cards(!) who are based in Hull, England.

I thought these Nudge Cards were perfect for me because I find that when my mental health is poorly, I struggle to remember the healthy and safe coping skills I’ve been taught. It’s something that – I think – isn’t unique to me though, so in choosing these cards I hoped they would help others who are also trying to cope with this.

BLOGMAS 2019 – POST EIGHT : STIGMA & MISCONCEPTIONS | BEAUTY & THE BEAST PANTOMIME | IN COLLABORATION WITH THE THEATRE ROYAL NEWCASTLE | AD

Thanks to a poll on my Twitter back in November, my wonderful followers decided that I should publish a blog post and film a vlog every day for the entirety of December!

So welcome to December 8th…

I struggled to think of a subject to write about in this post because as usual, I won’t be doing a review of the pantomime. Like I said in Wednesday’s Jack And The Beanstalk post, there are so many media sites doing an awesome job at publishing straightforward reviews that I don’t think you guys need another one doing that! Also, this is first and foremost, a mental health blog so telling you my favourite parts of a pantomime would be completely irrelevant!

For those who don’t know the story of Beauty and the Beast; it begins with an enchantress disguised as a beggar lady. She approaches a Prince and offers him a rose in return for allowing her to sleep in his Castle to escape the storm. When he fails to look beyond her appearance, she casts a spell on him which turns him into a Beast and tells him that unless he meets true love before the final petal falls from the rose then he’ll remain that way forever. And then ‘Beauty’ comes along in the form of a local village girl! And that’s all I’ll say because I don’t want to spoil it for those who haven’t seen it!

I guess the point of the story is not to judge a book by its cover, through not holding a preconceived idea of a person and seeing beyond a person’s appearance by appreciating their personality and who they actually are. It’s also about being kind to others and treating people how you would like to be treat.

Here’s – what I believe – are the five most popular misconceptions in mental health and what people should know to eradicate these beliefs:

BLOGMAS 2019 – POST FOUR : LESSONS LEARNT FROM FIRSTS | JACK & THE BEANSTALK PANTOMIME AT WHITLEY BAY PLAYHOUSE | AD

Thanks to a poll on my Twitter back in November, my wonderful followers decided that I should publish a blog post and film a vlog every day for the entirety of December! 

So welcome to December 4th…

Yesterday (December 3^rd) I went to Whitley Bay Playhouse and saw Jack And The Beanstalk with my Mum. Now, should you be surprised that I’m not just writing a review on the pantomime? Not if you’re a long-time reader! There are so many excellent blogs out there that write great reviews, that you don’t need another one from me(!); so I like to put a different spin on things and with it being the first time I’ve seen this story, it got me thinking about writing this post on new things and firsts…

Ironically, I actually wasn’t sure where to start with this post because when I think of firsts, I immediately go to the negatives; the first time I self-harmed, my first suicide attempt, the first time I was sectioned… and I felt as though I shouldn’t talk about those things in Blogmas but hey! This is a mental health blog and mental health doesn’t just go away for December and Christmas! So, to put a positive spin on things; here’s the lessons I learnt from my firsts…

BLOGMAS 2019 – POST THREE : THE HAPPI EMPIRE | ETSY COLLABORATION | AD

Thanks to a poll on my Twitter back in November, my wonderful followers decided that I should publish a blog post and film a vlog every day for the entirety of December!

So welcome to December 3^rd…

Today is all about my collaboration with one very special brand on Etsy, in this post I’ll be reviewing the products they sent to me and on December 23rd you can enter a competition to win these products and the remaining nine that I’ll be reviewing every other day this month!


The first of the Etsy products is this little mindfulness journal by the wonderful Happi Empire who are based in Perranporth, England. 


When I first began learning Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) as an inpatient in a psychiatric hospital specializing in Personality Disorders, I absolutely hated the coping skill of mindfulness! I took it to mean that in DBT they recommend that you ‘stay in the moment’ and I wholeheartedly believed that I would be unsafe if I did so. 


After the abuse in 2006 and 2007, I spent the following five years until I was admitted to the long-term hospital (for two and a half years) trying to pretend it hadn’t happened or do everything I could to block out the horrific memories. So, the last thing I wanted was to allow myself to ‘be in the moment’ where I worried that I’d end up so lost in the memories that I’d be unsafe. In all honesty, I thought that I’d end up wanting to be dead. So, I refused to engage in the Mindfulness exercises and hated completing the worksheets in group DBT sessions.

WHITLEY BAY OPERATIC SOCIETY PRESENTS: LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL AT WHITLEY BAY PLAYHOUSE

At the Whitley Bay Christmas market last year (2018) I had the pleasure of meeting Steve Tawse, Secretary for the Whitley Bay Operatic Society while I was representing the Society selling tickets to their Legally Blonde show, set to begin May 1^st 2019. When I asked Steve about the chances of being allowed backstage to write a blog post, I was surprised – and chuffed! – to be given complimentary tickets to the show’s matinee on May 4th at Whitley Bay Playhouse!


Haven’t seen Legally Blonde?

Basically, it’s about a blonde girl called Elle Woods who is dumped for not being ‘serious’ enough, so she works her butt off and gets into Harvard Law School, where she hopes to win back her ex-boyfriend. Initially, everyone underestimates Elle and she struggles to fit in, and with her ex’s new girlfriend turning the other students against her she devotes herself to her studies and wins an internship with one of the Professors as he represents a fitness guru accused of murder. After her Professor hits on her, Elle manages to take over the entire court case and proves the client innocent.

TWENTY-EIGHT THINGS I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO FOR MY 28TH BIRTHDAY

And the world becomes a fantasy
And you're more than you could ever be
'Cause you're dreaming with your eyes wide open

Greatest Showman – Come Alive

Birthdays are one of those yearly events, like Christmas and New Years, where everyone responds to it differently. Half of people are excited and enjoy the celebrations where the other half dread them and struggle with overwhelming negative emotions. I’m with the first half! I especially love Birthdays because I like the thought of having an entire day dedicated to creating all of the positive emotions and memories that the person deserves all year round! This means I’m probably more excited for other people’s Birthdays than my own but I’m still majorly excited to be turning 28!

So I’ve compiled a list of things I’m excited for – not just things that’ll happen on my Birthday but things to look forward to in general… Some of them may seem ‘small’ or ‘insignificant’ but sometimes the littlest things have the biggest impact!

WHY WE SHOULD TALK MORE ABOUT BEAUTY PRODUCTS | GIFTED BY M&S | AD

WORLD BOOK DAY 2018 WITH BLYTH LIBRARY | AD

Happy World Book Day 2018 guys & girls!

To celebrate the day, I attended an event at Blyth Library: http://mylibrary.co.uk/whats-on/events/614-world-book-night-coffee-evening

[Author, Christine Melville Kenworthy was also in attendance! To find out more about her work visit: christinemelvillekenworthy.com]

And now here's the post:

The book you’re currently reading:

ThePiano by Victoria Walter. I just started reading this short story because I’ll be attending an event later in June where I’ll be meeting the Author and I thought it was only respectful and decent, to be able to make conversation about her own work.

WOMEN'S MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS UNDERESTIMATED | PRESS RELEASE

Nine out of ten people do not realise women are more likely to have poor mental health than men, a new survey has shown.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is also more likely to be seen as a male condition than female, according to the poll from Agenda and Opinium.

Agenda, the alliance for women and girls at risk, is raising awareness about mental health as part of its Women in Mind campaign.

Katharine Sacks-Jones, Director of Agenda, said: “There is growing evidence that more and more women and girls are facing mental health problems. 

“But despite greater awareness of mental health in general, women’s mental health is still underestimated and misunderstood.