Happy Place

Women are often made to look after the emotional needs of their families, while simultaneously denying their own. Gabor Maté – who has decades of experience as a doctor working with mental illness, trauma, and addiction – says that’s having a very real physical effect on our bodies by way of autoimmune diseases. In this chat, Fearne and Gabor discuss the relationship between mental stress and phys...

We need to be intentional about finding, and keeping, love in our lives. #1 Sunday Times bestselling author, award-winning podcast host of  On Purpose  and Chief Purpose Officer of Calm Jay Shetty thinks the purpose of life is to understand how to love ourselves, each other, and the world.   In this chat with Fearne, Jay talks about why he’s fascinated by the place where a...

Music can change your state of mind. Shania Twain, the best selling female artist in country music history, has been using songwriting as therapy as she works through a difficult period in her life. In this chat with Fearne, Shania explains how the repetition of words in the songs she writes can act like therapeutic mantras, both evoking and releasing emotions. Shania also talks about being resili...

Does music have the power to emotionally transport you? It certainly does for actress Joanna Lumley and composer Stephen Barlow. Married for nearly 40 years, they share a huge passion for classical music in particular.   In this chat with Fearne, Joanna and Stephen explain how music and performing are threads that have always woven their lives together, as well as wondering that sometimes ext...

How does sexual harassment – both online and in real life – affect a person’s sense of self worth? This is one of the many questions actor and comedian Emily Atack has been asking herself and others in her new documentary, and as she campaigns for parliament to change the law around cyberflashing.   In this chat, Emily and Fearne share their experiences of everything from catcalling and...

It’s important to let the down days happen, to acknowledge them as part of the human experience rather than trying to fight them. Clinical psychologist and online educator Dr Julie believes the goal of therapy shouldn’t be to make ourselves be constantly happy all the time.   In this chat, Fearne and Dr Julie explore why anxieties and fears can sometimes serve us, and why it’s healthy to allo...

The human spirit is capable of enduring more than we might think. That’s something long distance walker and writer Raynor Winn discovered when she and her husband Moth became homeless the same week Moth was told he was terminally ill. In this chat with Fearne, Raynor talks about turning anger into positivity, the physically healing benefits of walking, and why we should leave space for the ‘magic’...

There’s great power in physical touch. Jambo Truong believes that self-touch is the greatest path to self-love, and holding others is where we’ll find real connection. In this chat with Fearne, Jambo explains the physical signs we can spot in ourselves and others when we’re truly connected to our deepest passions. They also explore practical ways we can all be kinder to ourselves. Find out more ab...

Meditation is chaos – it’s ok if you can’t completely quiet your mind. In fact, meditator, poet, and New York Times best-selling author Yung Pueblo says that’s kind of the main point. In this chat with Fearne, he explains that while meditation isn’t a ‘click your fingers and all your problems go away’ solution, it can have a very powerful effect on how you react to your problems. They also discuss...

Do you ever feel like you’re in your own way? Like the only obstacle stopping you achieving success is your own lack of self-belief? This is something pop icon and Queen front man Adam Lambert has spent a career navigating. In this chat with Fearne, Adam opens up about how he came to understand that he has anxiety. Looking back, he’s clear that having to supress his queer identity for a long time...

When was the last time you impressed yourself by doing something you didn’t think you could? Bear Grylls reckons putting ourselves in slightly uncomfortable situations is where we grow. In this chat with Fearne, Bear explains why those who take on epic adventures or challenges have to be really good at being mindful and living in the present, and what lessons about mental resilience we can all lea...

Kelsey’s husband, The Wanted’s Tom Parker, publicly announced in October 2020 that he had been diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour. He died in March 2022. Since then, Kelsey’s been learning how to navigate her own grief as well as that of their small children.   In this chat, she and Fearne explore the idea that we’re all allowed to be multiple things at once; Kelsey is clear she needs...

This is the 200th episode of Happy Place! To celebrate, Fearne replays some of her favourite moments from the show, revealing behind the scenes anecdotes and explaining why these conversations have been so important to her. Dave Grohl, Jada Pinkett Smith, and David Harewood all make an appearance. Plus, she hears from you about your favourite moments too. You’ve been sending voicenotes t...

Do you ever feel held back by shame or judgement? Not just from others but perhaps from yourself too? Do you default to self-deprecation? In this chat with Fearne, comedian, musician, and producer Tim Minchin talks about how he’s learnt to let himself appreciate his own talents.   They also chat about their own parenting choices, knowing full well that their children’s characters will be shap...

Model, NY Times best-selling author of My Body, and host of new podcast “High Low with EmRata,” Emily Ratajkowski has spent a lot of time thinking deeply about being a woman working in an industry that wants to commodify and objectify you. In this chat, Fearne and Emily explore female sexual empowerment, implicit gender roles, choosing to expose or cover up your body, and the tricky complexities a...

Stereotypes – the cat lady, the mother, the wife – can make us feel we need to play a part to fit the role others have cast us as. Broadcaster and author Dawn O’Porter wonders whether, far from being an entirely negative thing, sometimes that’s a necessary survival method. In this chat, Fearne and Dawn share their experiences of grief after losing their cats, as well as their thoughts on making a...

Are you ok? It’s a question that’s often worth repeating with the people we love. Capital Breakfast Show host Roman Kemp lost his best friend and radio producer to suicide in 2020, and is now more adamant than ever that we must keep asking our friends and family if they’re really ok. In this chat with Fearne, Roman explains why he feels it’s important to share both his ongoing grief, and stories o...

We don’t just feel grief after a bereavement, we can feel it as a result of many different types of loss: loss of health, loss of a childhood, loss of the creative part of yourself. Coach and therapist Donna Lancaster explains why grief is valid in all these scenarios, and how to work through the heart break both mentally and physically. In this chat, Fearne and Donna explore how to be an emotiona...

When others share their grief, it gives us permission to feel it ourselves. That’s what Richard E Grant has learnt over the last year as he’s shared every part of his own grieving process online. His wife Joan died in 2021, but before she did she told Richard he must try to find a ‘pocketful of happiness’ in each day. In this chat with Fearne, he explains why being given permission to be happy was...

It’s been an incredible few months for sport, and broadcaster Gabby Logan has been at the heart of it, reporting as the Lionesses made history. In this chat with Fearne, she talks about how we now need to capitalise on successes like these for the future of women in sport. Gabby also shares her experience of watching someone she loves go through addiction, the impact that having a devoted mentor h...

Unrelenting positivity isn’t always healthy. Over a career spanning decades, best-selling artist Craig David has learnt that sometimes it’s best to lean into pain in order to validate how you’re feeling. In this chat with Fearne, Craig explains why his desire to people please was ultimately hurting him, and explores the childhood experiences that led to an addiction to exercise. Craig’s book, publ...

Nerves and excitement are very closely related, but following a stratospheric rise to fame thanks to Eurovision, Sam Ryder makes a point to choose to feel the excitement. In this chat with Fearne, he reveals the truth about those glitzy afterparties and why he’d rather be at home playing with Lego... They also talk about how to understand what your purpose is, and why cool is the enemy.   Sam...

How good are you at being alone, both with your thoughts, and physically in public places? Rylan says that last year was the first time he really had to confront his own mental health, but doing so has helped him appreciate the joy in spending time alone. In this chat with Fearne, Rylan talks about how he’s been able to manifest what he wanted his life to look like, and not seek permission from ot...

How do you personally express love? Author, philanthropist, and award winning producer Olivia Harrison has a lifetime of memories with late husband George Harrison, the intricacies of which she felt compelled to write about in poetry. In this chat with Fearne, Olivia recounts stories from her life with George – including how important practices like meditation and gardening were to them – as well...

Addiction has dictated much of Matt Willis’ life, but the musician and actor has since learnt how to take responsibility for his actions and reactions. In this chat, Fearne and Matt explore the concept of shame, and how it can keep you suffering in silence, as well as why we need to be careful of celebrating addiction of any kind, even if it’s something society fundamentally values like work or ex...