Happy Place

Your brain isn’t broken; this is the reassurance influencer Gemma Styles wants you to have. Your brain is doing its best to cope with modern society – we need to be fixing our systems not blaming our brains for poor mental health.   In this chat with Fearne, Gemma – who’s an ambassador for MQ Mental Health Research – explains why understanding the science behind how her ADHD brain works helps...

What is your deepest sexual desire? Where do you think it comes from? Gillian Anderson has collected a series of anonymous fantasies in her new book, Want, and she wonders that at the heart of so many fantasies is the longing to be seen for who we really are.   In this chat Fearne and Gillian explore why a lack of self-esteem might be affecting women’s experience of sex, and what a deeply per...

Would you be a different version of you if you’d surrounded yourself with different people?   This is something the plot of The Husbands, the Happy Place Book Club pick for August, explores. In this chat with Fearne, live at the Happy Place Festival, author Holly Gramazio explains why she wanted to examine the idea that different relationships could significantly impact your lifestyle and per...

What you eat is having a direct effect on your mood and behaviour. Naturopath and functional medicine practitioner Lucinda Miller wants to help your brain thrive.   In this chat with Fearne, Lucinda talks about her own ADHD diagnosis and how changing her eating habits has changed her ability to cope with day-to-day life.   Learn what it means to have a neurodivergent brain, and how sympt...

Can you confidently say: “I like myself”? What would it take for you to get to that place?   The Happy Place Festival Talk Stage hosted loads of speakers across the weekend at Chiswick House and Gardens, and Fearne wants to bring you in on the Festival magic!   You’ll hear parts of the talks given by Gabby Bernstein, Roxie Nafousi, Lisa Snowdon, Paul C Brunson, Will Young, and Dawn O’Por...

The bad times are intimately connected to the good. Author Matt Haig thinks happiness is only happiness because sadness exists.   In this chat, Fearne and Matt talk about how hindsight can be an incredibly healing perspective shifter. He’s found closure, progress, and contentment by revisiting memories that were previously traumatising.   How good are you at facing up to your traumas rat...

We don’t get lucky, we create our own luck. Jason Donovan has achieved great success, but has worked incredibly hard to actively create his happy lifestyle.   In this chat with Fearne – live from the Happy Place Festival – Jason explains how we can choose to view moments of adversity as moments for change and reinvention.   Are you completely single-minded in your pursuit of your dreams,...

Do you think it’s uncool to be excited? Artist Yungblud wants us to marvel at the world; it’s life-affirming to be properly enthusiastic about stuff.   In this chat, Fearne and Yungblud talk about why we need to be done with being cool and distant. Instead, they share how to make sure you’re not dulling yourself down or putting filters on your real character.   Yungblud wears his heart –...

Do you get frustrated by everyone asking you “what’s next?” Presenter Alex Jones reckons there’s too much pressure to bypass being content in the moment, particularly when it comes to our careers.   In this chat, live from the Happy Place Festival, Fearne and Alex say there’s no shame – in fact there’s real beauty – in sitting still and enjoying the moment.   There’s also a nice bit of g...

Are you having the sex you want? Comedian and author Sofie Hagen reckons there are loads of things standing in the way of pleasure – everything from gender identity and body image, to parenting and the cost of living crisis.   In this Book Club episode – recorded live at the Happy Place Festival – Sofie tells Fearne why they haven’t had sex for 3000 days and counting... and why they’ve writte...

Do you have the confidence to speak up and say “no”? Rachel Stevens has learnt it’s ok to stand up for yourself and have a voice.   In this chat with Fearne – live from the Happy Place Festival – Rachel talks about how emotions are messy, and they’re better spoken out loud imperfectly than not at all.   They also chat about the early years of S Club 7; the band gave Rachel safety and str...

Petrified that your parenting is screwing your kid up? Crying out for support from people around you? Fearne’s pulled together some stories and advice from Happy Place guests who’ll make you feel more empowered and less alone in raising children.   Not a parent? Not to worry! You’ll learn just as much about how to regulate your own emotions, how your childhood is affecting your beha...

Would you describe yourself as a workaholic? Fashion designer Zandra Rhodes has an insatiable sense of drive that’s fuelled her iconic career since the 1960s.   In this chat with Fearne, Zandra is honest about how she threw herself into work as a way to cope with things like the death of the love of her life, and her own cancer diagnosis.   Zandra is very clear that we need our own sense...

Do you think of yourself as a victim of circumstance? Ella Mills – the founder of Deliciously Ella – used to live with a sense that life was unfair to her. Now, she knows that ultimately the only person in charge of your life is you.   In this chat with Fearne, Ella talks about realising apathy was a symptom of depression, and explains why sometimes you have to hit rock bottom in order to ack...

Make yourself comfy in a quiet space. Lie down if you can. Meditation teacher Rob da Bank is here to guide you through a Yoga Nidra practice.   This is 20 minutes of uninterrupted time for you, to feel a little more self-love, and to move you into a deeply restful place through guided mental imagery, intention setting, and breathing exercises.   Head back to the Happy Place feed to liste...

We’re all so used to being in a constant fight or flight mode, you might not even realise that your body has the potential to be in a much calmer state.   In this chat with Fearne, DJ and meditation teacher Rob da Bank explains how practicing Yoga Nidra is a way to help your body digest stress. He also talks about why we all need to slow down to combat burnout, and how sauna and cold water th...

It can feel awful when other people judge you, but it can be even worse when you judge yourself. Despite his immense achievements, Former European, Commonwealth and World Champion 400m medallist Iwan Thomas is no stranger to self-loathing.   In this chat with Fearne, Iwan talks about the innate need to make our parents proud throughout our lives, as well as how becoming a dad himself has chan...

Summer body ready? How about your summer skin and hair? Fearne knows you might be feeling the pressure to look a certain way – both right now, and across your lifetime – so she’s reflecting on Happy Place episodes that stick two fingers up to made up beauty standards and body ideals.   You'll learn how to challenge all those social norms dictating how we should look, with some help from chair...

Do you feel burnt out, but also like you’re not achieving enough? Entrepreneur Grace Beverley believes implementing clear boundaries can be the secret to success.   In this chat with Fearne, Grace talks through the hard and fast lifestyle rules she sticks to in order to keep her mental health in check, and why self-care needs to be reframed as a valid form of productivity.   And stick ar...

It’s important to live without regrets, to try everything, but also to know when to quit. Jon Bon Jovi feels leaving a legacy isn’t about competing with others, but about being able to say you’ve been the best version of yourself.   In this chat with Fearne, Jon talks about why he reckons being hard working trumps talent, and why he continues to demand excellence from himself, even 40 years i...

Is the world ready for free women? Paloma Faith feels society grooms girls and women to make themselves smaller, to take up less space, and to dismiss their own needs... and she’s calling bullshit on it.   In this chat Fearne and Paloma discuss the exhaustion that can come with being a nurturer – whether you’ve got children or not. They also talk about how over-achievers are often preoccupied...

Fearne’s written a novel! It’s called Scripted, and it tells the story of Jade – a thirty-something who, out on a run, stumbles upon a script that seems to predict likely scenarios and relationship dynamics in her life. Having been given a sneak peek at her future, can Jade now speak up, and rewrite her own destiny?   You’ve been DMing and voicenoting Fearne, asking her questions about the wr...

How big do you let yourself dream? BBC broadcaster Ashley John-Baptise grew up in care, and knows all too well that love can help cultivate aspiration.   In this chat with Fearne, Ashley talks through his childhood, from being bounced between foster parents and care homes, to ending up with a history degree from Cambridge University.   He explains how he became a colder and more detached...

Being deep in the middle of therapy can be draining. Ultimate Fighting Championship athlete Molly McCann has been working hard to understand her more toxic traits and behaviours, and her vulnerability has made her a stronger fighter.   In this chat with Fearne, Molly talks about how she’s learnt not to fear failure, and how to overcome self-sabotage, as well as the very physical way her traum...

Sociopathy should be understood as a spectrum disorder. It’s a disorder that affects roughly 5% of the population – similar to the number of people who have depression or anxiety. Patric Gagne is a sociopath.   In this chat with Fearne, Patric explains the difference between a psychopath and a sociopath. Sociopaths have access to inherent emotions like sadness and happiness, but struggle with...