Meet: Dr Audrey Tang
Author of The Leader’s Guide to Wellbeing, Dr Audrey Tang is a Chartered Psychologist (British Psychological Society), and award-winning business author with a focus on practical tools for wellbeing. She hosts podcast 'Retrain Your Brain for Success', and The Wellbeing Lounge on NLiveRadio she’s presented shows on DisruptiveTV, and provided psychology contribution to Channel 4's "Don't Diet Lose Weight", and The Chrissy B Show (Sky). She offers expert comment as a psychologist spokesperson both academically and through TV, Radio and published media in the fields of mindfulness, resilience, leadership and wellbeing.
Audrey is a qualified teacher (QTS), CPD accredited trainer, Leadership Development coach (ICF), and FIRO-B (relationship) profiler. As well as her workshops (webinar/in person) and talks, she advocates boosting mental and emotional fitness within the community through her theatre work with CLICK Productions (which she founded in 1993) – now a charity CLICK Arts Foundation - offering opportunities to build confidence, boost self-value and learn new skills through shows and performing arts driven events.
Tell us a bit about your work and what you do?
I am a trainer and speaker in the area of wellbeing at work delivering webinars within organisations and universities; as well as contributing to media and political comment, writing articles and giving talks at conferences or on panels. Outside that I host a mental health show on Community Radio (The Wellbeing Lounge), often getting involved in local events with the station, as well as being the Chair of Trustees for my charity CLICK Arts Foundation supporting grassroots arts projects through grant funding, and while a bit too busy to produce full scale musicals anymore, we’ve just recorded a Charity Single, and I teach Burlesque to build self-confidence and body appreciation.
Who has inspired you?
One of my main inspirations is Dolly Parton – someone who uses her platform to do a lot of good, and be as lovely in person as her public brand. However, having started as a teacher and getting to be part of so much community work through my Radio show, people also inspire me every single day…from the student who went from near exclusion to being a respected member of the school theatre tech team, to the dad who beat alcoholism and wrote a book, or the Shetland Pony who is an ambassador for Dementia UK.
Where did you start?
I started as a teacher. I taught secondary drama for 4 years and was both head of Psychology and Head of Drama. I left school teaching to pursue my PhD, and then returned to Further Education for 3 more years after that. I then decided to move to training and worked for the NHS Learning and Development Team before becoming a freelancer in 2014 around the time I was writing my first book. Since then I have continued to write, train, and speak in the area of workplace wellbeing as well as supporting PR campaigns as a psychologist and writing journal and mainstream articles which have also featured on the WHO website and as part of social campaigns for change.
Do you have any goals 2023?
The Leader’s Guide to Wellbeing comes out in October 2023, which is exciting because it “completes” my “Head Heart Gut” trilogy of soft skills in leadership (with Mindfulness being focused on keeping clarity of thought; Resilience about the courage to act; and Wellbeing about the compassion we need to make the changes we want). I’ve also started teaching Burlesque dance for “body appreciation” culminating in an event with speakers on the topic of ageism and wellbeing; and I’ve brought together a number of community groups and charities this year to release our first Charity Single – “You Will be Found” from the musical Dear Evan Hansen – which is really exciting as music is not necessarily my forte. But my big goal is to open a community media studio for webinar, livestream and content creation – in an affordable and nurturing space.
What advice would you give someone looking to achieve the life they imagine?
I have 5 tips:
- Know what that life looks like…or how will you know you’ve achieved it?
- Know that your goals/priorities may change, and that’s ok – just make sure you know what they are (back to point 1)
- “Success” is defined as “the achievement of a goal” – not “wealth”, “power”, “social media likes” – remember that!
- Don’t read reviews – (feedback is different) – reviews may not be written with your growth in mind, and the good ones can give you a false sense of ability, the negative ones can knock you emotionally…instead ask those you trust for their talent to respond.
- Learn from your successes as much as your failures…we know when something goes wrong we go back and try and improve, but when something goes right, it’s helpful to know how much that was down to you and can be replicable, and how much was down to luck!
Books by Audrey:
If you are interested in Audrey's work, you can find some of her books below:
The Leader’s Guide to Mindfulness
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