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PRsonal: ‘I've a choice whether to get up or stick my head under the pillow.’ Meet Jo Tosh.

In this series of podcasts, Charlotte Nichols, managing director of PR agency Harvey & Hugo, gets up close and PRsonal with a variety of well-known business faces. Nothing is off limits as she digs deep to get to know the person behind the professional…

In this episode…

Former lecturer and nurse Jo Tosh was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease at the age of just 47, leading to her retirement on medical grounds.

Now an advocate for Parkinson’s UK, she tells Charlotte about having holes drilled in her skull for treatment, how she got her head around having a terminal, degenerative condition, and why one of her first symptoms was – as she told her husband - being ‘mardy all the time’.

Key moments:

• 0:01:28 – the journey to the diagnosis of Parkinson’s
• 0:04:06 – Jo’s experience after brain surgery
• 0:05:53 – deep brain stimulation and it’s effects
• 0:11:54 – dealing with shame
• 0:15:23 – celebrity friends
• 0:17:21 – the impact of Parkinson’s on relationships and family
• 0:21:06 – raising awareness and fundraising
• 0:24:14 – advice for someone diagnosed with a life-altering disease
• 0:29:40 – Jo’s outlook on life and finding meaning in her journey
• 0:40:40 – happiness and gratitude despite living with Parkinson’s
• 0:49:52 – dealing with pain and the importance of humour
• 0:59:46 – side effects of medication and compulsive behaviour