Hurt to Healing

In this episode, I’m joined by neuroscientist, speaker and bestselling author TJ Power, whose work has helped so many people understand what modern life is doing to our brains. TJ is the author of DOSE, a book all about the four key brain chemicals that shape how we feel — dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin and endorphins — and how our screens, habits and lifestyles can throw them completely out of bal...

In today’s Healing 101, I’m joined by Dr Lalitaa Suglani, author of High Functioning Anxiety, to unpack a term so many of you have messaged me about. We talk about what high functioning anxiety actually is, the “swan” analogy of looking calm on the surface while paddling frantically underneath, and how it can hide behind productivity, perfectionism and people pleasing. Lalitaa explains the differe...

Today’s episode is a really personal one with Melanie Lawson, founder of Bare Biology and a previous sponsor of the podcast. We talk honestly about living with OCD, how it can shape shift over time, and what intrusive thoughts and compulsions actually feel like in the body, especially when you’re tired, stressed, hormonal, or going through change. We also get into the overlap with ADHD and rejecti...

In this episode of Healing 101, I’m joined by Pupinder Ghatora, pharmacist and founder of Ingenious, to explore the powerful connection between physical recovery and long-term wellbeing. Pupinder shares the story of his own health crisis and spinal surgery, and how it led him to rethink how we support the body through healing, from the inside out. We talk about collagen, supplements, and the scien...

Today’s episode is one I’ve been so excited to share because we’re talking about addiction in a way that feels much more human and much less “labels and lectures”. I’m joined by David Courtwright, historian and author of The Age of Addiction, and we explore how addiction so often begins in pleasure, then quietly tips into something compulsive, shame-filled and costly not just for the person, but f...

On today’s HEALING 101, I’m joined by Nadia and Katia Narain, for a gentle but powerful conversation about the beautiful concept at the heart of their new book: glimmers. We explore what glimmers really are - those small, often overlooked moments that signal safety and ease to the nervous system - and why they’re so different from gratitude. Together, we talk about how learning to notice these tin...

On this week’s episode of Hurt to Healing, I’m talking to nutritionist and hormone specialist Hannah Alderson about something so many of us hear about all the time, but don’t always fully understand - our hormones. From anxiety and low mood to brain fog, burnout, PMT, perimenopause and feeling completely unlike yourself, Hannah explains how hormones can shape so much of how we think, feel and func...

In this episode of Healing 101 , Julia is joined by broadcaster and presenter Ore Oduba for a deeply honest conversation about addiction, shame and the coping mechanisms we develop to manage difficult emotions. Ore speaks openly about his relationship with pornography, the moment it stopped feeling like a harmless habit and began to feel like something more troubling, and the internal struggle tha...

In today’s episode, I’m joined by preventive medicine physician and author Dr Sharon Bergquist, whose book The Stress Paradox challenges the idea that all stress is harmful and offers a far more hopeful, evidence-led way of thinking about what’s happening in our minds and bodies. Together, we explore the difference between chronic, depleting stress and the kinds of “good stress” that can build res...

On today’s Healing 101 episode, I’m joined by doctor, mental health advocate, and bestselling author Dr Alex George for a conversation about what it really means to be “normal.” Together, we explore why normality is often a misleading lens for understanding ourselves, the difference between impulsivity and compulsivity, and the many hidden ways OCD can show up beyond the stereotypes. Alex shares p...

Today I’m joined by Dr Marc Berman, a leading researcher on how nature impacts the brain, attention, and mental health. Marc explains the difference between directed (voluntary) attention and involuntary attention, why so many of us feel depleted by modern life, and why time in nature can genuinely restore focus - even if you don’t “feel like it.” We talk depression, anxiety and ADHD-like symptoms...

On today's Healing 101, I’m joined by broadcaster, author, and psychology expert Claudia Hammond, whose latest book, Overwhelmed, explores why so many of us feel like life has simply become too much. In this episode, we unpack what overwhelm actually is, when stress shifts from helpful to harmful, and the subtle signs that your mind and body may be under strain. Claudia shares practical, research-...

Today on Hurt to Healing, I’m joined by therapist and divorce expert Oona Metz, author of Unhitched: The Official Divorce Guide for Women. We talk about why divorce can still feel so loaded with shame, why women so often carry the guilt (especially with children), and the difference between ending a marriage legally and leaving it emotionally - which often happens long before the paperwork. Oona s...

In this episode, I’m joined by Will Dobud, therapist, researcher, and author of Kids These Days, to explore why so many young people are struggling - and why more intervention doesn’t always mean better outcomes. We talk about his outdoor, solution-focused approach, the unintended harm of over-diagnosis and over-medicalisation, and why engagement, connection and doing more of what already works of...

Today we’re talking about something that so many people silently live with: high-functioning anxiety - that feeling of looking like you’ve got it all together on the outside, while inside you’re paddling furiously just to keep afloat. I’m joined by Dr Lalitaa Suglani, psychologist and author, and we unpack why “high functioning” isn’t the same as “fine” - and how perfectionism, people-pleasing and...

In today’s HEALING 101 episode, I’m joined by Jamie White, a life coach and business mentor who works closely with entrepreneurs navigating stress, burnout, and the hidden emotional costs of success. Jamie shares his own journey from early entrepreneurial success into severe burnout, and how chasing achievement to fill an internal void eventually caught up with him. We talk about why business and...

In today’s episode, I’m joined by Jan Gerber, founder of Paracelsus Recovery in Zurich, for a deeply honest conversation about burnout, depression, and what those experiences can really feel like when they hit, often suddenly and without warning. Jan shares his own recent journey through depression, how it showed up for him, and what helped him begin to recover. We also explore Paracelsus Recovery...

In today’s Healing 101 episode, I’m joined by Julia Bradbury for a deeply grounding conversation about what mental wellbeing really means - beyond diagnoses, labels, or the absence of anxiety and depression. We talk about balance, self-awareness, and why understanding your triggers, values and support network is just as important as managing symptoms. Julia shares powerful reflections on connectio...

For this special Valentine’s Day episode of Hurt to Healing, I’m joined by psychologist and relationship researcher Harry Reis, co-author of How to Feel Loved, to talk about something we don’t often stop to ask: what does it actually mean to feel loved, not just by other people, but inside ourselves. Why is it that even when we’re cared for, chosen, or wanted, so many of us still struggle to belie...

Welcome back to Healing 101. Today I’m joined by Alexis Johnson, Nature & Wellbeing Officer at the RSPB, and we’re talking about something I found genuinely eye-opening: nature prescriptions - a simple, supportive way for healthcare professionals (and other trusted adults) to encourage people to use nature as part of their wellbeing toolkit, without it feeling like yet another thing to “get pe...

Today I’m speaking to broadcaster Ore Oduba about something many people struggle with silently: porn addiction. Ore opens up about his thirty-year journey with a honesty that is rare and incredibly powerful - how it began in childhood, how shame and secrecy kept it alive, and how it shaped his sense of self, relationships and mental health. We also talk about recovery: what it took to finally ask...

Today on Healing 101 I’m joined by writer and teacher Margo Steines for a conversation about something many people quietly struggle with: when movement stops being healthy and starts becoming consuming. Margo shares how what began as empowerment gradually tipped into something far more controlling, and we explore the emotional undercurrents that can sit beneath compulsive exercise - from perfectio...

Hi guys, welcome back to the Hurt to Healing podcast. In today’s episode I’m joined by Claudia Hammond - author and broadcaster - for a really grounding conversation about overwhelm: what it is, how it’s different from everyday stress, and why so many of us feel like we’re constantly carrying too much. We talk about perfectionism, decision fatigue, comparison, and the pressure to be “good at every...

In today’s episode, I’m joined by Ro Mitchell for a really honest and grounding conversation about the link between ADHD, anxiety and disordered eating and the role control often plays when your mind feels chaotic or overwhelming. We talk about learning to soften the inner critic, rebuilding trust with your body, and why recovery isn’t about giving up control entirely, but about finding safer, mor...

Hi guys, welcome back to Hurt to Healing. Today I’m joined by Dr Tommy Wood - neuroscientist, researcher and performance consultant based in Washington DC - and this conversation genuinely blew my mind. We talk about the real pillars of wellbeing - food, movement, sleep and connection - and why “more, more, more” isn’t always better. Tommy explains allostatic load (the total stress your body is ca...