Hurt to Healing

October is a big month for OCD awareness and in today's HEALING 101 episode I speak with musician Jessica Sweetman. We talk about what OCD really feels like when it spikes and, most importantly, what actually helps. No magic fixes. Just small, doable things that steady you, keep you creating, and get you through the wobbly days. We don’t overcomplicate it so if you’re after calm, clarity, and a fe...

Few topics in mental health are as complex, charged, and deeply personal as gender dysphoria. For some, transitioning feels life-saving. For others, it leads to regret and the painful realisation that surgery or hormones didn’t solve the deeper struggles underneath. In this episode, I’m joined by Dr Az Hakeem - psychiatrist, psychotherapist, and author of Detrans: When Transition is Not the Soluti...

Welcome to part two of my Healing 101 conversation with psychiatrist and researcher Joanna Moncrieff. If you haven’t yet listened to part one, I’d encourage you to go back - it lays the groundwork for this shorter bonus episode. Here, Joanna answers some of the most pressing questions about antidepressants: what they’re really doing in the brain, why withdrawal can be so difficult, and how we migh...

What happens when, from the outside, it looks like you’ve got everything - opportunity, privilege, excitement - and yet on the inside, you’re running on empty? In this episode, I’m joined by Sam Branson - entrepreneur, adventurer, musician, and yes, the son of Richard Branson - for a deeply honest conversation about burnout, purpose, and the long road back to self-acceptance. Sam shares the unseen...

For decades, we’ve been told that depression is caused by a “chemical imbalance” in the brain - something wrong with our serotonin that only a pill can fix. But what if that story was never actually backed by science? In this Healing 101 episode - part one of a two-part conversation - I’m joined by psychiatrist and researcher Joanna Moncrieff, whose groundbreaking work has challenged one of the bi...

So many of us make promises to ourselves out of shame - “From Monday, I’ll be better. I’ll drink more water, I’ll stop doing that thing, I’ll finally get it right.” And yet, by Tuesday, we’ve broken our own rules and slipped back into self-sabotage. In this episode, I’m joined by psychotherapist and bestselling author Anna Mathur, whose new book The Good Decision Diary is an invitation to step awa...

in today’s Healing 101 episode we’re focusing on a condition that is so often misunderstood and misrepresented - bipolar disorder. To help us unpack it, I’m joined by Rosie Viva - model, mental health advocate, and someone who has lived experience of bipolar 1. Rosie speaks with such honesty about what it really feels like to live with bipolar day-to-day, from the highs of mania to the lows of dep...

Today we’re exploring a subject that’s so often misunderstood, oversimplified, or brushed aside - ADHD in adulthood, and particularly what it means for women. If you’ve ever found yourself wondering why you feel constantly overwhelmed, why you can be so capable in some areas but struggle so deeply in others, or why that inner critic of yours feels louder than anyone else’s voice — this conversatio...

If you’ve ever felt like talk therapy just wasn’t getting to the root — this episode might open something up for you. Today I’m joined by Mariko Bangerter, regression therapist and founder of Mindsetting, to talk about a form of therapy that honestly blew my mind. Regression therapy goes deeper than the conscious mind — guiding you into a relaxed, altered state to access the subconscious, where so...

This episode might be one of the most confronting and important conversations I’ve ever had. I’m joined by psychoanalyst, parent coach and author Erica Komisar to talk about the emotional and neurological development of children in the earliest years of life – and why those first three years matter more than we’ve been led to believe. Erica doesn’t sugarcoat things. She talks openly about how mode...

In today’s HEALING 101 episode, I speak with broadcaster and host of This Was Always Me, Rich Clarke and we get really honest about shame, identity, and what it’s like growing up feeling like you have to hide who you are. Rich opens up about internalised homophobia, the impact of staying silent for years, and why “coming out” still feels like this weird performance — when really, it should just be...

What if the person who seems to have it all together is actually struggling in silence? In this episode, I’m joined by the extraordinary Dr. Judith Joseph – psychiatrist, researcher, and author of High Functioning – to unpack a form of depression that so many people relate to but rarely talk about: high-functioning depression. We dive into why it’s often missed, how it hides behind achievement, an...

If you're a parent, a loved one, or just someone who’s struggled with food or body image – this episode is essential listening. I’m joined by the brilliant Dr. Anna Colton, clinical psychologist and eating disorder specialist, for a conversation that is raw, practical, and full of compassion. We explore the early warning signs of eating disorders, why binge eating is so misunderstood, and how thin...

In today’s episode, I sit down with the actual founder of Internal Family Systems, Dr. Dick Schwartz. IFS isn’t just another therapeutic tool or model – it’s a whole new lens through which to see ourselves. One that says we’re not broken, or bad, or beyond help – but actually, beautifully complex. That all these parts of us – the inner critic, the perfectionist, the compulsive exerciser, the overa...

So, today’s episode is with someone I absolutely love having on the podcast - James Withey. He’s been on Healing 101 not once, but twice before, and both times were full of that honest, no-nonsense kind of wisdom that just really hits. If you haven’t already listened to those episodes, I’d really recommend going back and giving them a go. This time, we’re talking about something so many of us wres...

So this episode is with the brilliant Rosie Viva - model, mental health advocate, long-distance runner, and now author of the incredibly honest and moving book Completely Normal and Totally Fine (which I love the title of, by the way - it kind of says everything in four words). Rosie was diagnosed with bipolar one after a full-blown psychotic episode at Stansted Airport - which she talks about her...

Welcome back to Healing 101. This is Part 2 of my conversation with Dr. Sami Tamimi, where we continue peeling back the layers of how we understand mental health and emotional pain. In this episode, Sami shares his thoughts on the impact of COVID, helicopter parenting, and how our culture's obsession with control and certainty may be contributing to rising levels of anxiety and distress—especially...

So, I just want to say upfront — this is one of those conversations that really stays with you. Today I’m talking to the brilliant Helen Kirwan-Taylor, who honestly blew me away with how open, and completely unfiltered she is about trauma — real trauma. Helen lost her sister in an unimaginably tragic way when she was 12, and we talk about what happens when no one around you talks about it, and you...

Welcome to Healing 101, and today, we're bringing you Part 1 of a two-part conversation with the extraordinary Dr. Sami Timimi—psychiatrist, author, and a powerful voice challenging mainstream ideas around mental health. In this first half, we explore fundamental questions: What is mental health, and just as importantly, what isn’t it? Sami shares his perspective on the subjectivity of psychiatric...

Today’s conversation is with someone whose work has truly shaped the way I think about time, productivity, and what it means to live a meaningful life. I’m joined by Oliver Burkeman — author of the best-selling Four Thousand Weeks and Meditations for Mortals. In this episode, we dive deep into the psychology behind our need for control — how it shows up in our perfectionism, our people-pleasing, a...

Welcome to this special mini episode of Hurt to Healing with the incredible Dr. Shefali — a clinical psychologist, bestselling author, and trailblazer in conscious parenting and personal transformation. In just a few powerful moments, Dr. Shefali unpacks how we unknowingly pass on our unhealed wounds, the pressure women face around body image, and how we can begin breaking free from cultural condi...

Today, I’m joined by the extraordinary Jean Campbell—model, writer, and host of the podcast I’m Fine, where she explores the many shapes and layers of pain, both physical and emotional. Jean’s story is one of resilience forged through adversity. From a traumatic accident at 12 to living with chronic pain through her teenage years and beyond, Jean brings rare honesty and compassion to a subject so...

In this episode of Healing 101 , I’m joined by Professor James Brown — one of the UK’s leading voices on adult ADHD, co-creator of the chart-topping podcast The ADHD Adults , and co-author of the forthcoming book ADHD Unpacked . Together, we delve into the often misunderstood world of emotional dysregulation and its overlooked connection to ADHD. Drawing on both cutting-edge research and his own l...

Today, we're tackling a topic that’s often wrapped in silence, secrecy, and shame—porn addiction. It’s something many people struggle with but few feel safe enough to talk about. My guest today, Jeremy Lipkowitz, is helping to change that. Once a high-achieving academic with a hidden addiction, Jeremy’s journey from compulsive porn use to Buddhist monk, mindfulness coach, and men's mental health a...

In this episode, I’m joined by Tommaso Barba from Imperial College London to explore how psychedelics are transforming mental health research. We break down what these compounds are, how they work in the brain, and why they offer hope for conditions like depression, anxiety, OCD, and addiction. Tommaso also shares insights on the future of psychedelic therapy — and the importance of safety, integr...