The Chronic Edge

29/05/2026

LIFE AFTER DIAGNOSIS - trailer

Trust the process, you’re GUNNER unleash your edge!

In this episode of Behind the Edge, you are gunner unleash your edge with life after diagnosis: Arsenal Edition.

Here Elliot talks about the importance of moving forward, ignoring the haters, stigma & myths, by achieving your goals.

Go on, you deserve it!

28/05/2026

Arthritis & careers.

out this quick extract from our next episode: Strategies for the Arthritic Employee.

Unleash the edge!

illnessisnotaburden

Full video out Thursday at midday: https://youtube.com/?si=MED4iLGaaqZRWMqf

27/05/2026

THE IMPACT OF ILLNESS IN THE WORKPLACE ON SELF-ESTEEM.

Being chronically ill doesn’t just drain your body, it wrecks your self-esteem, especially at work.

You show up (when you can), push through fatigue and pain, yet still end up feeling like a burden to your team, your manager, and yourself.

That internal voice whispers: “They’d be better off without me.”

Over time, it becomes a self-fulfilling cycle.

Research by Wirth, Allen & Zitek on “Feeling like a Burden” shows how this perception in team settings damages social interactions, tanks performance, and fuels negativity that reduces productivity for everyone.

For leaders / employers / HR:

If you’re not actively supporting employees with chronic conditions through open communication, flexibility, and real understanding, you’re quietly eroding your workforce.

You’re increasing presenteeism, absenteeism, turnover, and lost ROI.

Stigma around chronic illness still leads to missed promotions, bad reviews, and guilt for many.

This isn’t softness. It’s smart business.

Chronic conditions affect a massive portion of the working population, and ignoring the mental health fallout (including plummeting self-esteem) is burning profits.

What steps have you taken?

Or what steps will you take to break this cycle?

Open dialogue, adjusted expectations, and genuine support aren’t charity; they’re retention and performance strategies.

For practical, no-BS approaches to these challenges, check out my book Burning Profits: 10 Myths Destroying Your Workforce.

It cuts through the myths and delivers real strategies for better retention and ROI.
Available now on Amazon, Waterstones, and more.

21/05/2026

New edition out now!

📣 Connectiverse Magazine Issue 12 is here!

We’re excited to launch the newest edition of Connectiverse Magazine, bringing together powerful lived experiences, expert insight, community stories, and practical support from across the Fylde Coast and beyond

Inside this issue:

🟣 Family & Parenting
Exploring compassionate reform in children’s court cases with Forbes Solicitors, navigating financial shocks with Kristen Money Coach Red Star Wealth Management, and future-proofing your mortgage with Adele Bryant of Admarsh Mortgages. Understanding dementia, and supporting families through change and uncertainty.

🟢 Mental Health & Wellbeing
For Mental Health Awareness Week, we explore the importance of taking action with Mental Health Foundation, Shaping the future of Mental Health Support with Lancashire Mind and building mental wealth with Andrea Pilkington Sandiford, grounding techniques, resilience, and the powerful connection between music with Helen Kane of Forte Strengths Ltd, wellbeing, and inner balance with John Fisher.

🟡 Neurodiversity & Accessibility
Unpacking ARFID with Laura Hellfeld Neurodivergent Nurse Consulting, dyspraxia, sensory needs, layered perception, and neurodivergent parenting with NDwise Hub. Celebrating Dr Helen Wall 's new book release ADHD & menopause. While sharing lived experiences and practical insights to help families feel seen, understood, and supported.

🟣 Education & Development
From smartphone-free childhood conversations with to sensory-aware teaching from Fleetwood High School and Thrive fleetwood. We look at leadership coaching with Emma Benyon, spotlight approaches helping young people thrive both in and beyond education with Tracey May of The Blackpool Sixth Form College, share the achievements from Millfield and share and upcoming project for the move from primary school to secondary school for all Children in and around Wyre.

🔵 Business & The Workplace
Exploring meaningful workplace wellbeing, intentional leadership with Selnet (Social Enterprise Lancashire Network), loneliness at work with Warren Langford of Lab Creative, Day One Rights with RR Legal, and why wellbeing needs to go beyond “Muffin Mondays” with The Chronic Edge.

🟠 Your Local & Your Voice
Celebrating local achievements, Volunteers’ Week, community reflections with a memoir of empowerment and unity with Cerys of United Youth Alliance, Move Fest 2026 from Ron's Run and Wyre Council Wyre Moving More, The Manor & Community Hub updates, One Fylde Tune Ability' s award-winning journey, and more inspiring local voices.

🎙 Plus, catch up with our latest Connectiverse Podcast conversations, sharing honest discussions and perspectives that matter.

This issue features:
🔹 Lived experience alongside expert guidance
🔹 Contributions from educators, advocates, professionals, and community organisations
🔹 Practical support, insight, and inspiration
🔹 Voices helping build a more inclusive and connected community

At its heart, Connectiverse is more than a magazine, it’s a movement for connection, understanding, inclusion, and support.

📖 Read the latest issue now, free online.
🌐 https://online.fliphtml5.com/fodzc/CV-issue-12-Digital/

Together, we’re building a kinder, more connected community, one story at a time.

19/05/2026

I really enjoyed this conversation, Andrea Sandiford Coaching put me through my paces and got me thinking about my why but also the importance of my work.

Being part of the family since the beginning has been a joy and being asked to discuss my work and being a chronic autistic with the stigma surrounding working while sick something that literally brought me to tears.

Take a listen and let me know if you’d like to know more about my journey or work with The Chronic Edge

https://open.spotify.com/episode/3JyOtu9cnVGIlDO8VhU13I?si=FWoDWt9CRd6qFawsJvs2og

18/05/2026

Take a listen to our founder Elliot Charles Evans chat with Andrea Sandiford as part of Connectiverse podcast Connectiverse Perspectives.

Discussing chronic illness, neurodivergence, workplace data, and navigating the world of work.

NEW EPISODE – Connectiverse Perspectives

In our latest episode, Andrea is joined by wellbeing strategist and The Chronic Edge unleashed host Elliot Evans for an honest conversation about chronic illness, neurodivergence, masking, workplace culture, and the pressure many people feel to appear “fine” even when they’re struggling behind the scenes.

Together, they explore:
The hidden reality of chronic illness at work
Why people are more than a diagnosis
Workplace wellbeing beyond token gestures
Masking, fatigue, and psychological safety
How understanding and flexibility can change lives warm, thoughtful, and often very funny, More Than a Diagnosis is a powerful reminder that support starts with listening.

Listen now:
🔹 Apple Podcasts
🔹 Spotify
🔹 Amazon Music

https://pod.co/connectiverse-perspectives/connectiverse-perspectives-more-than-a-diagnosis

Find out more about Connectiverse at
www.connectiverse.co.uk

18/05/2026

If you knew you were losing more than £4000 a day in lost output and potential profits from your business, what would you do?

If the answer is find out why and plug it, then check out our next episode dropping Thursday at midday!

Calculating the real cost of Absenteeism to your business.

Subscribe now to The Chronic Edge Unleashed and check out our first Audit workshop at the end of this short.

12/05/2026

Work can actively make you sick, and vice versa.

Toxic workplaces, unsupportive managers, cold offices, hard floors, and uncomfortable furniture can tank productivity as much as resentment and low morale.

But by working together, it doesn’t have to be that way.

Check out our latest episode of Arthritis in the workplace here: https://chronicedgeunleashed.buzzsprout.com/2158715/episodes/19157400

The Chronic Edge

28/04/2026

It’s that time again.

Our latest episode for our Illness is not a burden series is out now on audio.

BUILDING A CKD INCLUSIVE WORKPLACE

This is for all the employers, wellbeing champions, office managers, and HR professionals.

In this episode we focus on what you need to know to comply legally, but also practical tips and tools you can use to improve retention & presenteeism, keeping more people in work. (Links provided in episode description)

We also cover how not helping chronically sick staff can impact your bottom line and the ripple effect of that choice.

These episodes aren’t the employer vs the employee or employer = bad.

These are in place to help you BOTH come together against the condition to improve outcomes for everyone concerned.

Strategic inclusion based on education, research and data, will beat out any reactionary approach or policy every single time, and those employers who implement first will win the talent recruitment & retention race.

Please share, follow, like, and subscribe.

Listen here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2158715/episodes/19083262



Music by MrZoo

23/04/2026

There are pros and cons to AI but for neurodivergent content creators AI can be both your best friend and worst enemy.

In this short clip we talk some benefits.

For the full video click here and follow for more - https://youtu.be/3OLeSdaJ6Yc?si=Z2kJMIa4TUnrHjRO.