Dysfunctional

Join Breathing Space here: https://www.joshconnolly.co.uk/breathing-space This week is a little different. No guest. No script. Just me sitting down to answer some of the biggest questions about healing, toxic family systems, misogyny, masculinity, forgiveness, grief, social media, and everything in between. I talk about why I no longer believe healing works the way I once thought it did, why toxi...

What if becoming a mother is one of the biggest transformations you'll ever go through… and nobody prepares you for it? In this powerful and deeply honest conversation, Josh is joined by Rebecca Barnes, founder of Becoming The Mother, to explore the hidden realities of motherhood that so many women experience but rarely talk about. Together they discuss matrescence – the profound physical, emotion...

What if the child who was labelled "too sensitive", "too emotional", "too much", or "the problem" was never the problem at all? In this episode of Dysfunctional, I sit down with author and master coach Candace Van Dell to explore the idea that some people aren't broken, they're simply seeing things that others can't. We dive into family scapegoating, highly sensitive versus highly perceptive peopl...

In this episode of *Dysfunctional*, Josh welcomes back bestselling author Dr Jessica Taylor for a powerful conversation about one of the most misunderstood forms of abuse in modern society: stalking. Drawing on her new book, *Click, Stalk, Destroy*, Jessica explains how stalking has evolved far beyond the traditional image of someone hiding outside your house. In the digital age, stalking can be r...

What if the life you've spent decades building no longer feels like yours? In this episode of Dysfunctional, Josh sits down with coach, mediator, yoga teacher and author Wyndham James to explore what really happens when success stops feeling successful. After spending twenty years in a corporate career he knew wasn't right for him, Wyndham eventually found himself unable to ignore the growing disc...

In this episode of Dysfunctional, Josh sits down with Chanel Duffy for a raw and deeply honest conversation about childhood abuse, narcissistic parents, coercive control, survival mode, and what happens when you finally stop minimising what you went through. Chanel shares how she spent years believing her childhood was “normal” before realising she was living in deep denial and survival. Together,...

In this episode, Josh sits down with workplace psychologist and author Dr Laura Hambley Lovett to explore the reality of toxic bosses, workplace trauma, and dysfunctional leadership. Together, they unpack the overlap between toxic workplaces and toxic family systems, including gaslighting, manipulation, smear campaigns, control, and covert abuse. Laura shares why toxic bosses are often so difficul...

In this episode, Josh sits down with trauma coach Ana Gersch to explore emotionally immature parents, estrangement, and the role of validation in family relationships. Ana shares her journey into trauma work, blending somatic practices, spirituality, and modern coaching. Together, they unpack how trauma lives in the body, why emotional immaturity shows up in parents, and what actually defines emot...

For more information or to grab you spot at the festival use these links - Instagram -  https://www.instagram.com/oneretreatwellness?igsh=dWl1d3Q2NzhjMGto Facebook -  https://www.facebook.com/share/1GyyZMdpeQ/?mibextid=wwXIfr Website - www.oneretreatwellness.co.uk  Ticket section of the site - https://www.oneretreatwellness.co.uk/tickets And you can find Alex and Same here -  S...

In this episode, I’m joined by Amber Hughes for a powerful conversation about addiction, homelessness, grief, and the impact all of it has on families. Amber shares the story of her sister Hannah, who experienced addiction and homelessness before passing away in 2017. We talk about the chaos and heartbreak of loving someone through addiction, the stigma that still surrounds homelessness, and how t...

This week on Dysfunctional, I’m joined by Becky Ray. Becky works in workplace culture and leadership, helping organisations improve toxic work environments and develop better leaders, especially middle managers. We talk about toxic workplace culture, sexism, bullying disguised as banter, and how poor leadership becomes normalised over time. We also explore “accidental managers” and why so many peo...

In this episode, I sit down with Laura Marston for one of the most raw and honest conversations we’ve had on  Dysfunctional . Laura shares her journey from being labelled and sectioned, spending years in and out of psychiatric units, struggling with addiction, and being told she had a “disordered personality”… to beginning to understand her experiences through the lens of trauma. We talk abou...

In this episode of Dysfunctional, Josh sits down with Kevin Brown for a raw and honest conversation about men’s mental health, addiction, shame, and the long road from self-destruction to self-respect. Kev shares his journey through chaos, binge drinking, drug use, and living a double life, before a powerful moment of clarity helped him finally understand the impact of his childhood and the wounds...

Rich Finegan joins me for a powerful conversation about family estrangement, neurodivergence, anger, shame, and what it means to finally let yourself feel. We talk about emotional suppression, accountability, parenting, dyspraxia, and the relief that can come when you realise you’re not broken and you’re not alone. A deeply honest episode about healing, self-acceptance, and learning to show up for...

In this episode of Dysfunctional, Josh sits down with comedian and creator Laura Belbin, best known online as Knee Deep in Life, for a raw and wide-ranging conversation about healing, family estrangement, therapy, and self-respect. Laura opens up about growing up in a dysfunctional family system, surviving childhood sexual abuse, and the painful reality of walking away from family relationships th...

In this episode, Josh sits down with Sue Deagle for a powerful conversation about loss, grief, resilience, and life after everything changes. Sue shares the sudden loss of her husband and the journey of rebuilding a different kind of life in the aftermath. Together, Josh and Sue explore why grief and joy can exist at the same time, why people often struggle to support those in pain, and how loss i...

This week I’m joined by Leona Waller and Ana Ally, hosts of The Body Knows, for a conversation that goes way beyond “regulating your nervous system.” We explore the three things your body is constantly organising around — safety, belonging, and dignity — and why so many of us were taught to override them. We talk somatics vs embodiment, the productisation of healing, chronic illness, disconnection...

In this powerful episode, I sit down with five extraordinary young people to talk about what it’s really like to grow up with a parent in prison. The courage and maturity they bring to this conversation is breathtaking. They speak honestly about shame, stigma, anger, confusion and loss, but also about resilience, ambition and who they’ve chosen to become because of it. This isn’t just a conversati...

Jolene Ironside is a trauma therapist specialising in teenagers and neurodiversity, a somatic mind-body coach, yoga teacher, and holistic therapist. In this conversation, we talk about what happens when you grow up around addiction, how perfectionism can be a survival strategy, and why “understanding it” isn’t the same as actually feeling it. We get into suicide and addiction with honesty (and a l...

n this episode of Dysfunctional, Josh Connolly is joined by Ian Stringer and Scott Murdoch to talk about Chasing Yesterday Marathons a powerful endurance challenge raising money and awareness for NACOA (National Association for Children of Alcoholics). We unpack what it’s like growing up with an alcoholic parent, the silence and shame that keeps families stuck, and why children of alcoholics often...

This week on Dysfunctional I’m joined by Kate King, author of Mend or Move On. We talk about the question so many people live inside for years: should I stay and try to repair this relationship, or should I move on and finally choose myself? In this episode we get into: Why “mending” gets glorified and “moving on” gets shamed The 3 signs a relationship is genuinely toxic (not just difficult) Why l...

In this episode, Josh is joined by Karl Melvin to unpack the recent Beckham estrangement headlines, Oprah’s conversation on family estrangement, and why this topic provokes such strong reactions. Together, they explore abuse, validation, projection, and what actually helps when families break down — especially when children and parenting are part of the picture. To sign up to the event secure your...

In this solo episode of  Dysfunctional , I walk through the six chapters of the Inner You process and share why this work has been so important in my own healing. We talk about intention, self-compassion, meeting the different versions of yourself, healing relationships, and what inner child work actually looks like in real life. This is an honest, grounded conversation about integration, emo...

In this episode, I’m joined by Elaine Baxter, a breathwork facilitator who’s been through the full arc of modern wellness, from fixing and performing, to actually holding space in a way that’s real. We talk about ditching the “spiritual costume” and why so much of the healing industry rewards masks over authenticity. Elaine shares how breathwork helped her reconnect with feeling after years of num...

Leaving an abusive relationship doesn’t always mean the abuse stops. In this episode, Josh speaks with  Miranda Allen , an ambassador for  Mums in Need , about post-separation abuse and how control continues through courts, finances, smear campaigns, and children. Miranda shares her lived experience and why believing survivors matters more than ever. Learn more or support the work of Mum...