I can be my own worst and most harsh critic.  My inner critic is loud and persistent, telling me all the ways I am not enough: not good enough, don't work hard enough, not consistent enough.  In this episode I describe how my inner critic talks to me, what the persistent nonsense she spouts consists of and how it makes me feel, and... how I work to quieten her voice.

In this episode I take a long hard look at the World of Measurement. Not sure what that is? It is the world most of us live in nearly all the time. A world where we compare and quantify, chart academic progress and weight loss, reward promotion and achievement, where the most important thing is winning and if that means somebody else loses, well so be it. In the World of Measurement we measure everything from our income to our cars, from how tastefully decorated or tidy our homes are to the behaviour of our

This might just be my favourite podcast episode so far.  A couple of weeks back I travelled to Bath to attend the launch of the Positive Wellness Journal, the new book from the Positive Planners. For those of you who don’t know, the Positive Planners are Ali and Finn and together, fuelled by their personal mental health stories, they designed and launched a successful range of gratitude mindful journals. I was introduced to Ali and Finn about six months ago via the medium of Instagram. Having exchanged m

Episode 5: This episode explores why knowing the limits of your capacity is vital. I didn't know how much I was able to do. I tried to do it all. I pushed hard and kept going when I should have stopped. It didn't end well. I ended up at the age of 30 riddled with anxiety, experiencing panic attacks and burn out. One of the most important elements of my recovery has been to think about how much I can do. This is easier said than done when you live a life full of responsibility and activity. In this episode I

A conversation about finding the words to talk about how we are feeling and the limits of language. I have known Phil for over 20 years. He is a husband and Dad to his two birth children and adopted son. He is a secondary school German teacher and foster carer recruiter, and eight years ago found himself in the midst of a period of extreme anxiety. In this episode Phil talks candidly about his experiences of anxiety and what he did about it.

Why is it important to have a creative practice? What might stop you developing one? During my early 30s when I was suffering with post natal depression and anxiety I stopped thinking of myself as a creative being. This was not good. I discovered creativity is essential to maintaining my mental health and wellbeing. Hear my story of how I have learnt to incorporate creativity into my life on a daily basis and get encouragement and tips for how you can do the same.

Does the idea of self-care make you feel icky or entitled or indulgent? Me too. And yet, I have needed to learn to care for myself. Self-care isn't a nice optional extra, it is essential. But I have learnt taking a bubbly bath or booking a massage, while being lovely, isn't the place to start. If you want to learn to care for yourself and to do it consistently, you have to begin with curiosity.

I am a beginner. This is my first episode. It isn't easy to be a beginner and there seem to be so many reasons not to start. What if I fail? What if I don't know how? What if it feels too difficult? But if you don't start, you will never do anything. Here I discuss why and how to start when you aren't sure how. Covering ideas including imposter syndrome, living with a scarcity mentality, and how to be okay with being a bit crap to begin with.