Dr Fiona, the Founder and Clinical Director of The Edinburgh Practice, is a powerhouse in the world of mental health and neurodiversity. Her private practice, nestled in the heart of Edinburgh is a centre of clinical excellence with a fantastic team of 55 dedicated professionals. When she’s not seeing clients as a Clinical Psychologist, Dr Fiona is busy leading her team and ensuring they provide the best mental health and neurodiversity support services.
Here Dr Fiona opens up about her passion for supporting women, the value of personal branding, and how to manage life’s ups and downs. She also shares why teaming up with egg was an easy decision.
You’re one of the incredible sponsors supporting our Women on Top Summit. What inspired you to join us through the egg partnership?
egg is such a supportive community for women across Scotland, with an ethos of celebrating and empowering women in all areas of life. Life pressures today mean that women are constantly juggling things, and egg has built a wonderful online community that encourages women to help one another - whether through sharing advice, offering recommendations, or simply sending kind words. I feel very strongly about supporting businesses with values like egg. I can see that The Edinburgh Practice (pictured below) and egg have a shared vision of creating one space where women can access everything they need to cope better with life and optimise personal wellbeing.
What are you most looking forward to at the Women on Top summit?
Networking and connecting with woman from a range of businesses and discussing key business challenges and potential collaborations. The line-up of speakers is excellent and I know it will be an occasion everyone comes away from feeling excited, enriched and enthusiastic. One of my core values is personal growth and this event looks set to be a brilliant day with lots of opportunity for both personal and professional growth for attendees. It will also be an opportunity to share what we do at The Edinburgh Practice with attendees and give both me and some of my team time out of the practice to gain knowledge to inform and develop our services and the strategic direction of the business.
What advice do you have for women entrepreneurs?
You need courage and grit to both start and sustain a business longer term. It is imperative to keep your vision and mission for your business strong and visible - this will anchor you during the inevitable obstacles you face over time. Starting a business is a steep learning curve so I would also advise women to utilise all the help and support available to them, accessing free support where possible through initiatives such as Business Gateway.
Your personal brand and how important is it for the business?
My personal brand is very reflective of the brand of the practice. I think it is important that your brand authentically represents who you are and what you believe in. Committing to running a values-led business will help you to achieve this. The core values of Courage, Compassion, Safety, Integrity and Personal Growth which we embody at The Edinburgh Practice mirror my own core values and therefore it comes naturally to me to be an authentic, positive and productive business owner. It is incredibly important to me that I am visible, present and engaged in the day-to-day running of the practice so that I have oversight and confidence that my team continually make values-based decisions aligned with our company vision.
What does work-life balance mean to you?
Achieving work-life balance as a female entrepreneur is incredibly difficult. It takes effort and commitment as there is always something that needs to be done or focused on in the business whilst similar demands are present at home. But finding balance is essential to avoid burn-out and I am incredibly lucky to be continuously reminded of that through my therapeutic work with my clients, ensuring that I ‘practice what I preach.’ For me, taking time out could be going to a yoga class, going for a run, reading, or watching something light-hearted on TV.
Who do you go to for advice?
I am very lucky to have a large support network around me, both personally and professionally. Reminding myself that I am doing my best and that I can only take things one day at a time helps a lot.
Favourite book?
Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts has held my top spot for 15 years now. I read it whilst on my own adventure travelling the length of Africa and it completely captivated me, all nearly 1000 pages!
Join us, along with our sponsors The Edinburgh Practice, at our upcoming Women on Top Summit on 26th September. It's where you can become part of our women on top community, connect and foster meaningful connections.
Our Women on Top summit 2024 is a women's networking event in Scotland. It takes place on Thursday 26th September, 9am-5pm, at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh. Tickets include tea, coffee, lunch, entertainment, inspiring speakers and goodie bags. Book here.
