No Small Talk

Trigger Warning: Host Chris Melville welcomes leadership consultant Lindsay Wright to No Small Talk to discuss death, grief, and how society avoids preparing for loss. Lindsay shares meeting her husband Stuart online, their marriage and daughter Lily, and Stuart’s sudden death from a heart attack in their kitchen on 2 January during COVID, while nine-year-old Lily watched. They explore the trauma,...

Trigger Warning: Host Chris Melville explores emotional regulation through her history of catastrophising, rooted in being a parentified child who handled major family financial crises. She explains how hyper-capability and over planning can be forms of emotional avoidance driven by discomfort with uncertainty, and encourages getting curious about the feelings underneath the stories we create (suc...

Trigger Warning: Host Chris Melville welcomes Julia Darlington to No Small Talk for a conversation about major life transitions after three decades in senior fashion and lifestyle leadership. Julia shares her route into fashion from a science-focused education, rising through Marks & Spencer and other roles, and moving her family to Australia for senior leadership positions before being made r...

Host Chris Melville returns with October’s monthly check-in on No Small Talk with Entrepreneur and Mentor Richard Harrison , from Caldera Investments. They focus on the wins for the month, getting out of your comfort zone, and next month’s accountability. Richard shares wins including starting with a new coach, preparing for an upcoming event, and handling key business admin despite a cancellation...

Trigger Warning: Miscarriages, loss, and adoption Host Chris Melville welcomes Lisa Baker-Murray, founder of BakerMurray Consulting, for a conversation about miscarriage, loss of self, and adoption. Lisa shares how she and her husband began trying for a baby in 2006, experienced seven miscarriages, and faced the physical and emotional toll. They experienced limited support after early losses, guil...

Host Chris Melville explains what makes a healthy boundary and how it differs from requests, negotiated agreements, avoidance, and control. She argues that boundaries can’t force another adult to change or prevent you from being upset, and they don’t remove your responsibility to examine why certain situations trigger you. Chris outlines why boundaries matter (clarity, honest relationships, the ab...

Host Chris Melville welcomes Anna Carina Berkman (Architect Anna), a qualified architect and former CMO turned AI strategist, trainer, and founder of Markitect, to discuss what it takes to come out of prolonged survival mode and why external stability doesn’t automatically create internal safety. Anna recounts leaving architecture, moving into inconsistent film work, landing a demanding CMO role,...

Host Chris Melville returns with September’s monthly check-in on No Small Talk with Entrepreneur and Mentor Richard Harrison , from Caldera Investments, to discuss personal and business wins, decision-making, and asking for help. Richard shares how opening up with fellow entrepreneurs helped him reset after a rough week, celebrates taking a spontaneous Tuesday afternoon to race MX-5s at Brands Hat...

TRIGGER WARNING: This is a frank discussion of eating disorders, self-harm, alcohol and cocaine addiction, suicidal thoughts, and the impact addiction can have on families. Host Chris Melville welcomes Camilla Collins to discuss the hidden cost of becoming who we think we need to be to survive, belong, or succeed. Camilla shares her path into alcohol and cocaine addiction, earlier experiences with...

Host Chris Melville explains why decisions get harder the longer you sit in them, the brain prefers familiar options because they feel safer, and too much research creates confusion that stalls action. Using examples from business (pricing, launching, changing offers) and personal life (jobs, relationships, opportunities), she argues that more thinking often adds noise rather than clarity, and tha...

TRIGGER WARNING: Anxiety, loss of a loved one, mental health, motherhood Host Chris Melville welcomes Amanda O’Rourke, a multi-award-winning business owner, coach, and founder of the Manifest Like Magic Retreat. Amanda describes years of high-performing anxiety-masking emotions, overthinking, and waking at 3 a.m. with racing thoughts rooted in fears of loss, family bereavements, and losing her mot...

TRIGGER WARNING: Difficult subject matters within this episode including death and mental health Host Chris Melville introduces a new monthly accountability check-in with returning guest Richard Harrison , founder of Caldera Capital. They discuss why entrepreneurs must train their brains to notice wins and progress, and share July highlights: Richard’s second talk (on ADHD), new connections, a hou...

TRIGGER WARNING: This episode contains information about imposter syndrome. Host Chris Melville shares a bonus episode challenging how “imposter syndrome” is used as a catch-all for professional self-doubt. She defines true imposter phenomenon as the inability to internalize clear evidence of competence and success, often linked to perfectionism and early family expectations, and contrasts it with...

TRIGGER WARNING: Host Chris Melville speaks with Nicole George , founder and editor of SOVEREIGN Magazine® LLC , an online magazine and community with podcasts, YouTube programming, and multiple shows. Nicole shares her shift from 18 years as a NICU nurse and nurse manager to building a global platform centered on “sovereignty,” defined as chasing what’s true to yourself rather than inherited expe...

TRIGGER WARNING: Host Chris Melville welcomes nutritionist Sandrine Olmi of Savoir Faire Nutrition, who works with families of neurodivergent children experiencing big emotions and sensory food issues. Sandrine shares her personal journey after adopting her daughter at four months old; intense meltdowns, sleep disruption, and food refusal emerged around age three, leading to parental burnout and l...

TRIGGER WARNING: ⚠️ Please note: Because of the nature of this podcast, episodes can contain difficult and sometimes heavy subjects. If you're hearing this message, then this is one of those episodes. Please keep that in mind when choosing when, where, and maybe even if to listen. Host Chris Melville offers a content warning and explains that the show isn’t a substitute for professional support be...

TRIGGER WARNING: Mental health, being labeled weird, self doubt, confidence, teen wounds Host Chris Melville talks with personal stylist and style coach Abbey Booth , who works mainly with midlife professional women. She has just published her book, Don’t Save It For Best. Abbey shares how she moved from a long-held dream into running a women’s boutique, starting with pop-ups and a Facebook page d...

TRIGGER WARNING: ⚠️ Please note: This episode may include sensitive or triggering content. Honor your inner knowing, and remember, our show is never a substitute for professional, legal, medical, or psychosocial guidance. Always seek support from a certified professional when needed. Host Chris Melville opens with a content warning and introduces No Small Talk guest Tana Mcpherson-Smith, a child a...

On the first episode of No Small Talk, released on Chris’s 60th birthday, host Chris Melville and guest Richard Harrison (founder of Caldera Capital , connecting property investors with development opportunities) discuss learning to trust yourself. Richard shares how a failed events partnership and disillusionment with corporate loyalty led him to doubt his judgment, seek support from mentors and...

Chris Melville, a business mentor and mindset coach for solopreneurs, introduces No Small Talk, a podcast inspired by her fascination with how the brain drives behaviour and self-perception. She speaks to the doubts, insecurities, and lack of self-belief people often hide, especially in late-night moments when mental “noise” feels unavoidable. Drawing from her daily work and her own healing journe...