Celebrating Astriid Consultant Pippa Stacey
This time last year, we were thrilled to take part in a wide range of fun and creative fundraising activities in support of Astriid, our charity partner dedicated to improving the lives of people living with chronic illness. You can revisit all the highlights from that incredible year here. Building on that momentum, this year we’ve continued to champion Astriid’s mission through both fundraising and awareness-raising initiatives.
At the heart of our efforts this year has been our insightful conversation with Pippa Stacey, the amazing Astriid Communication Consultant and founder of LifeofPippa. Pippa shared her journey in becoming a consultant for Astriid, what inspired her to write her latest books, and her insights into the challenges and considerations workplaces should make to support colleagues with chronic illnesses. Her personal experiences and dedication make her a true advocate for improving understanding and creating inclusive environments for those living with long-term health conditions. See a sneak peek below on some tough questions she tackles:
Q: What advice would you give candidates on sharing their health conditions with potential employers?
Pippa: Take time to understand your access needs and what you need to thrive - not just cope. Prepare in advance so you can advocate confidently during interviews. Remember, managing a chronic illness develops transferable skills that are valuable to employers, and it’s okay to frame your experience positively.
Q: And for employers, how can they better support staff with long-term health conditions?
Pippa: Take disability equality training seriously, but also recognize that many programs don’t fully cover long-term or energy-limiting conditions. Investing in training and understanding accommodations opens doors to a significant talent pool that often gets overlooked. One in five people in the UK has at least one long-term health condition, and many have multiple.
Q: If you could leave readers with three key takeaways from your books, what would they be?
Pippa:
- Don’t lose sight of your goals, adapt them if needed, but be clear about what you want and the steps to get there.
- Reconnect with your identity and embrace your disability as a positive part of who you are.
- Spend energy on the things that make you happy, relationships, hobbies, or social life. It’s not indulgent; it’s essential.
Q: Where can people find you and your work?
Pippa: Everything is on my website lifepipper.co.uk. I’m most active on Instagram at @LifeofPippa, and my books are available in bookshops across the UK.
Our Ongoing Support for Astriid
Beyond our sit-down with Pippa, we were also fortunate to have spoken with the former CEO of Astriid, Steve Shutts, where he reflected on his time leading the organisation, shares valuable insights about the charity’s mission, and highlights ways in which businesses and individuals can support those living with chronic illness. You can listen to the full conversation here.
Our work with Astriid is about more than fundraising - it’s about raising awareness, fostering meaningful conversations, and highlighting the voices of incredible people like Pippa Stacey. By sharing these stories, we hope to inform others to consider how workplaces and communities can better support people living and working with chronic illness, while also celebrating the ongoing impact of the charity’s work.
We’re proud to continue this journey with Astriid, combining action, insight, and advocacy to make a real difference for those navigating the challenges of chronic illness. Explore Bain and Grays commitment to (EDIB) equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging.
