Breakdown and Repair

Mark Simmonds was born in Nairobi, Kenya in 1962 to an English father and a Polish mother. He is married to Mel with three grown up children, Will, Emily and Jack. They have two gorgeous pets, a dog called Peggy and a cat, Maisie.During a career spanning 30 years, Mark has worked as a management trainer. He has run learning programmes in innovation and creativity for corporate giants like Unilever, GlaxoSmithKline, Tesco, Philips, HSBC and the Red Cross right across the globe. A job he has really loved! Along with his wife, Mel, he now runs a small boutique agency called GENIUS YOU.Throughout his life, Mark has struggled with pressure and anxiety, and back in 2001, he suffered a nervous breakdown, brought on by work-related stress. This culminated in four months sick leave and a failed attempt (luckily) on his own life. Ever since, he has done his very best to try and achieve his professional ambitions whilst managing his anxiety at the same time.His book, Beat Stress At Work, is a hybrid. In part, it's a tale that takes the reader through his professional life, describing his up and down relationship with mental health. In part, it is also a self-help book, full of useful templates, frameworks and checklists.Above all, Mark wants us all to better understand the impact of 'bad' stress in the workplace and help us deal with it as effectively and proactively as possible.