It’s A Small World!

Revenge is one of the strongest human emotions, but does getting even really bring the satisfaction we imagine? In this episode of  It's A Small World! , Tanya and Mich explore why we seek revenge, whether it's ever justified, and the difference between revenge, justice and healing. Inspired by Lily Allen's latest album, written in the wake of her marriage breakdown, Tanya reflects on...

This week on  It's A Small World! , we're exploring one of the most fascinating, and controversial, subjects out there:  Past Life Regression . Can hypnosis really unlock memories from another lifetime, or is something else happening inside our minds? Tanya shares her own recent past life regression experience, while we discuss the science behind hypnosis, famous case studies, including th...

What do circuses, influencers, celebrities, reality TV and social media all have in common? More than you might think. In this week's episode of  It's A Small World , Tanya and Mich use the life and legacy of P.T. Barnum as a starting point to explore something much bigger: why humans are so fascinated by spectacle. From  The Greatest Showman  to  The Prestige , from theatre audiences to T...

What do we actually mean when we say someone has “good energy”… or that a place feels “off”? In this week’s episode of  It’s A Small World ,! Tanya and Mich explore the fascinating space between science, psychology, intuition and human experience as they ask: What IS energy? From Nikola Tesla and the science of frequency and vibration… to emotional contagion, gut feelings, atmosphere, spiritual en...

What if the mind can change the body… even when the treatment itself does nothing? In this episode of  It’s A Small World! , we explore the fascinating and sometimes unsettling world of the placebo effect, nocebo responses, expectation and human belief. From sugar pills and placebo surgery… to empathy, self-talk and the physical effects of fear and stress… we ask how much the mind influences the w...

Can what we eat really heal us? In this episode of  It’s A Small World! , we explore the complicated, emotional and deeply human relationship between food, health and healing. From ancient herbal remedies and fasting rituals… to calories, vitamins and modern wellness culture… humans have always searched for answers in what we consume. We talk about: the origins of nutrition science food as fuel vs...

What if the feeling of wanting more from life... isn't random at all? As the seasons shift and everything begins to bloom, many of us feel a change in energy. More restlessness. More desire. A pull towards something new. In this episode, we explore Beltane - the ancient Celtic festival marking the beginning of summer. A time of fire, fertility, protection, and connection... where communities c...

Some things you hear… you can explain. This wasn’t one of them. In this episode of  It’s A Small World! , we go back to a moment we didn’t didn't hear at the time… until we listened back. A voice. Clear enough to notice. Strange enough to question. Was it something natural we missed in the moment? A trick of sound? Our own minds filling in the gaps? Or something else entirely? We explore what...

We often talk about “reinventing ourselves” as something exciting - a fresh start, a new chapter. But what if reinvention is actually rooted in something much deeper? In this episode, we explore both sides of the conversation - the symbolic “deaths” we go through as we outgrow identities, relationships and versions of ourselves… and the reality of  actual death , loss, and how it reshapes the way...

How much are we really noticing in the world around us? In this episode of  It’s A Small World! , we take you on a journey through nature, folklore, and the hidden meanings behind the plants we walk past every day. After taking part in a Wildflowers and Witchcraft walk at Newstead Abbey in Nottingham, we started to look at nature differently, not just as something we pass through, but as something...

Is  Wuthering Heights  really a love story… or have we been romanticising something far darker? In this episode of  It’s A Small World! , Tanya and Mich explore the raw, unsettling world of Emily Brontë’s classic - from an opening that shocked audiences of the latest film adaptation to the deeper psychological themes beneath the surface. We unpack the intensity of Catherine and Heathcliff’s relati...

In a world that expects constant productivity, steady progress, and always moving forward… what happens when your energy doesn’t work that way? In this episode, we explore what it really means to live cyclically in a linear world - from fluctuating energy levels and emotional rhythms, to the quiet pressure of “keeping up” when your body and mind are asking for something different. We talk about: H...

Last week we explored the cultural idea of curses - how societies across the world have used them to explain misfortune, fear and social control. But what if the idea of a “family curse” isn’t just folklore? In this episode of  It’s A Small World , Tanya and Mich move from mythology into science, exploring the fascinating field of  epigenetics  - the study of how trauma and life experiences can in...

Are curses real - or are they powerful stories humans have told for centuries to explain misfortune? In this episode of  It’s A Small World , Tanya and Mich explore the strange history of curses, from ancient Roman curse tablets and African spiritual traditions to European folklore and modern horror stories. Why have humans across almost every culture believed that misfortune could be deliberately...

Welcome to  It’s A Small World!   - the podcast where we explore identity, culture, belief systems, human behaviour… and the subtle societal shifts that say something much bigger about who we’re becoming. Sometimes we go deep. Sometimes we go philosophical. And sometimes… we talk about dogs. This week’s episode was inspired by something simple that made us smile: a cinema for dogs. Instead of aski...

Gendered Ageism, Media Bias & Turning 50 In this episode of  It’s A Small World! , we explore  gendered ageism , workplace bias, media representation and the cultural double standard of ageing. Why are older men described as “distinguished,” “seasoned” and “authoritative”, while women are sold anti-ageing products and warned about wrinkles before they’ve earned them? We discuss: What ageism re...

That quiet voice that says you don’t belong. That you’ve somehow slipped through the net. That any moment now, someone is going to find you out. In this episode of  It’s A Small World! , Tanya and Mich explore imposter syndrome - what it is, why it’s increasing, and how it links directly to burnout, particularly for women in the workplace. Drawing on research from Claire Josa’s Imposter Syndrome S...

Valentine’s Day is supposed to be about love, but for a lot of people, it brings pressure, comparison, self-doubt, and a strange emotional weight that’s hard to explain. In this episode of  It’s A Small World! , we step back from the cards, flowers, and expectations to ask a different question:  why does one symbolic day have so much power over how we feel about ourselves and our relationships? We...

What actually is the Law of Attraction - and why does it divide so many people? In this episode of  It’s A Small World! , we explore the Law of Attraction beyond the clichés. Not as a quick-fix promise, and not as a way to “get” things - but as an idea rooted in awareness, belief, frequency, and how we experience the world around us. We talk about why people are drawn to manifestation, where it ca...

How do people really come into our lives - by chance, coincidence, or something a little deeper? In this episode of  It’s A Small World! , we talk about how we first met and became friends, and the strange, subtle moments that seemed to nudge our paths together. From shared timing to unexpected overlaps, we explore the idea of coincidence versus synchronicity - and whether there’s a meaningful dif...

Fresh starts are everywhere - new years resolutions, rituals, promises to ourselves. But do they actually change anything? In this episode of  It's A Small World! , we explore why humans are so drawn to the idea of a reset, what resolutions really say about us, and whether meaningful change comes from discipline… or intention. We talk about: Why January feels psychologically powerful The differenc...

Welcome to It’s A Small World  - a conversational podcast exploring alternative ways of thinking about life, the universe, and everything in between. Through open discussion, curiosity, and questioning accepted narratives, we explore beliefs, conspiracy theories, the power of mind, the paranormal, and the ideas that sit just outside the mainstream - not to convince, but to consider. It’s a space f...