At Pastest, we know that preparing for exams is only part of the challenge for healthcare professionals. The demands of the profession extend far beyond studying, mental well-being is just as critical. That’s why we’re incredibly proud to announce our partnership with the Podcast SafeSpace, hosted by Dr. Mariam Pereira.
Why This Partnership Matters
At Pastest, we believe in supporting the whole healthcare professional, not just their academic success. The pressures of exams, training, and day-to-day clinical work can take a toll, and having open, honest conversations about mental well-being is essential.
By partnering with SafeSpace, we aim to help raise awareness, foster change, and provide actionable resources to those who dedicate their lives to caring for others.
What is SafeSpace?
SafeSpace isn’t just a podcast, it’s a support system designed to uplift, educate, and empower healthcare workers. The podcast is built on three key pillars:
- Candid interviews with healthcare leaders and professionals, sharing their real-life struggles and experiences with mental health.
- Reflective discussions with a clinical psychologist on pressing issues such as burnout, grief, menopause, bullying, and depression.
- Guided meditations designed specifically for healthcare professionals, helping them prepare for the day ahead, find moment of calm during shifts and wind down after work.
This podcast is not a replacement for formal mental health management, but it serves as a vital tool for motivation, reflection, and catharsis in an often overwhelming profession.
Exclusive Interview: 7 Questions with Dr. Mariam Pereira
To celebrate this partnership, we sat down with Dr. Mariam Pereira to discuss her journey, SafeSpace, and the impact she hopes to create.
1. What inspired you to start this podcast and focus on creating a safe space for your listeners?
In my time as a foundation doctor I experienced bullying, grief after the death of a patient, anxiety, depression and burnout. I felt so alone and isolated. I could not speak to anyone about this. I internalized it and thought what is wrong with me? I struggled to find any help or support. This made me determined to start building a community in my hospital so my colleagues didn’t have to go through what I did. I set up Balint groups for Foundation doctors which I ran for 2 years, then joined the Schwartz Rounds Steering group and became a facilitator. These meetings are where we have regular discussions about difficult experiences in the workplace in a safe space, and this I believe really helped change culture and increase camaraderie over time.
I set up the podcast because I want to help create this culture change beyond our healthboard. I want healthcare staff to realise they are not alone in what they go through, and normalize having real discussions about real issues we experience in the healthcare workplace.
2. What unique perspectives or expertise do you and your guests bring to the discussions on the podcast?
I completed my scholarship with the Healthcare Leadership Academy pursuing my passion of healthcare management and leadership, and, as my project, created a podcast called SafeSpace. Along with my co-host, clinical psychologist Dr Melany McKenna, I worked on over last year and released SafeSpace in October, getting to no12 on the Apple Charts for Mental Health. I have candid interviews with healthcare leaders and passionate healthcare professionals about careers, how things really are in this healthcare system and how we go about improving wellbeing for our healthcare professionals. The guests include Sir David Haslam (Previous Chair, NICE), Prof Partha Kar (Diabetes & Technology Lead, NHS England & Clinical Advisor, GMC), Dr Ally Jaffee (Multi-award winning Celebrity Doctor, frequently appearing in the media), Dr Lipi Roy (in-house doctor for NBC, CNN), episodes have gone from strength to strength and as a result, I received the Liz Sizer Award from the You Okay Doc Charity for outstanding contributions to doctors mental health, which was incredible.
3. What do you hope listeners take away from each episode of the podcast?
I hope listeners find catharsis when they hear about the experiences of our guests, and our own reflections too. I hope to normalise real honest conversation about real issues affecting us in the healthcare workplace, the emotions around it all, and discuss the solutions. I want people to realise they are not alone in their experiences, and there are incredible people in the healthcare system doing good work to help change the system for the better.
4. How does your podcast serve medical professionals or students, and what unique value, shared values, or goals set it apart as a standout resource in its field?
I hope the podcast helps to perpetuate a positive culture change in our medical community, to promote allyship, self-advocacy, and compassion in not only leadership roles but throughout the workplace. These topics are rarely if at all discussed in the medical sphere, and I want to highlight that we are not robots or walking textbooks, we are human, and the traumas we experience in the traumatic environment that is the healthcare workplace need to be discussed and processed healthily instead of being hidden under the carpet.
5. Can you share some practical tips or strategies from the podcast that listeners can use to create safe spaces in their own lives?
My advice would be find your workplace community and build it. If there are Balint Groups or Schwarz Rounds in your hospital or health centre already please attend them as they are a fantastic, and frequently underutilized resource. If you don’t have these available, find a few close colleagues to share your experiences with, and if you are keen, consider setting up the rounds in your healthcare setting!
I think social activities to build camaraderie between colleagues is also incredibly important, but has been eroding over the years leading to poorer working relationships between colleagues. Things like departmental walks or meals out or bigger events for the hospital like Summer Balls are all fantastic ways to interact with colleagues outside of the workplace setting which is so important to build good relationships and bonds within the workplace.
6. What excites you most about the future of the podcast, and what’s your ultimate goal for its impact on your audience?
I look forward to the podcast going from strength to strength and getting more incredible interview guests who inspire and advocate for much needed positive change for the mental health and wellbeing of healthcare workers.
I think especially in these times we need to hear about positivity, compassion, kindness, empathy, and how that translates into an efficient and effective workplace. We have it all wrong at the moment. We sacrifice the wellbeing of our staff for filling rota gaps and cutting down waiting lists. But we are not considering the main reason why people leave. If staff feel valued and looked after by their workplace they are more likely to stay, leading to filled rotas and shortened waiting lists.
I hope to influence or change policies in the NHS through the podcast, and have plans for books and courses on improving wellbeing in the workplace, so watch this space!
7. How do you ensure the podcast remains a safe, inclusive, and inspiring space for listeners of all backgrounds?
I ensure my guests are as diverse as possible so there is good representation of leadership and discussion from a wide range of people from different walks of life. I want our listeners to be inspired by the incredible work our leaders are doing, which frequently goes unreported, in favour of the bad news frequently in the headlines.
I want our listeners to feel like they can easily be drivers of change in their own workplace, if they wish to do so, and I hope the conversations we have in the podcast spark these emotions of hope, passion, and determination.
The conversation is as real and authentic as possible as I want our listeners to feel less alone in their experiences of injustice, burnout, stress, anxiety etc, and start to normalise candid conversations about a difficult workplace and what the solutions are