Know Your Own Psychology

The Parent Trap: Five Ways We Get Stuck Know Your Own Psychology Podcast | Dr Laura Williams Parenting is one of the hardest — and most meaningful — roles we’ll ever take on. And yet, there’s no manual. In this episode, clinical psychologist Dr Laura Williams explores five common parenting traps that many of us fall into, often without even realising it, and how we can gently step out of them. Whe...

Can AI Replace Therapy? A Psychologist's Perspective Know Your Own Psychology Podcast – Episode 49    Can AI replace therapy? It’s a question more people are asking as tools like ChatGPT become part of everyday life. Some are even turning to AI for emotional support, guidance, and self-reflection. But is that safe—or effective? In this episode, clinical psychologist and bestselling...

Why does being authentic sometimes feel so uncomfortable? In this episode, I’m exploring what it really means to be genuine with ourselves and with other people. Many of us move through the world performing versions of ourselves that feel safer, more acceptable, or less likely to be judged. But over time, that disconnection from who we really are can leave us feeling exhausted, anxious, or strange...

Trauma: Myths, Misconceptions and the Truth About Healing  In this episode of Know Your Own Psychology, I’m breaking down common myths about trauma therapy and explaining what responsible, ethical trauma treatment actually looks like. As a clinical psychologist and trauma specialist, I see how much misinformation exists online — from promises of rapid trauma healing to the idea that everyone...

Family estrangement is often talked about online as a simple, binary choice — stay or go, cut contact or don’t. But in real life, it’s rarely that straightforward. In this episode, Dr Laura explores the psychological complexity of family estrangement, moving beyond polarised debates to consider what no contact actually means, the different forms it can take, and how people can make decisions that...

In this timely episode, Dr Laura explores the psychological impact of the events unfolding in Minneapolis and why people across the world may be feeling destabilised, overwhelmed, or emotionally reactive. Drawing on the concept of collective trauma, she explains how repeated exposure to threat erodes psychological safety, how this shows up in our nervous systems, and what actually helps in times o...

In this episode, I’m joined by fellow clinical psychologist Dr Claire Plumley to talk about burnout — what it really is, how it shows up, and why so many of us miss the early warning signs. Claire is the bestselling author of Burnout: How to Manage Your Nervous System Before It Manages You and the founder of Plum Psychology. Together, we explore how chronic stress affects the nervous system, how t...

Why do so many of us feel shame or self-judgement for taking medication—especially when we wouldn’t think twice about treating a physical illness? In this episode, Dr Laura explores the stigma around medication for mental health, where it comes from, and how it quietly seeps into our self-talk. Drawing on clinical experience, cultural narratives, and personal reflection, this is an honest and comp...

Resilience is often described as “pushing through” or “bouncing back” — but for many people, that idea feels exhausting and unrealistic. In this episode, Dr Laura explores what resilience actually looks like in real life and why struggling, feeling tired, or feeling changed by difficult experiences does not mean you’re lacking resilience. You’ll hear:   •   why resilience isn’t about cop...

Calm at Christmas: A Mindfulness Meditation    Christmas can be a complicated time. For some, it’s joyful and connective. For others, it can feel overwhelming, lonely, emotionally charged, or quietly painful. And for many people, it’s all of those things at once. This episode of Know Your Own Psychology is a gentle mindfulness meditation for the Christmas period, created to help you...

Body Image, Shame, and Feeling Good in the Skin You’re In Body image struggles are not about vanity — they are about safety, belonging, and the stories we learn to tell ourselves about our worth.   In this bitesize 20 minute episode, clinical psychologist Dr Laura Williams explores the emotional and psychological roots of body image, how shame becomes intertwined with how we see ourselves, an...

In this episode, Dr Laura dives into body image, exploring why talking about our bodies can feel so loaded and how negative body image impacts our emotions, self-esteem, and daily life. Drawing on her personal reflections growing up in the 80s and early 2000s, she highlights the cultural pressures that shape our perceptions.  Key Takeaways:    •   What body image really is, bot...

In this episode, I sit down with the brilliant Hannah Wallace — TEDx speaker, writer, disability advocate and host of the Finding Grace podcast — for a deeply human conversation about meeting life’s hardest moments with honesty, hope and courage. Hannah’s story is extraordinary. Diagnosed with Ehlers–Danlos and now living with Parkinson’s, she has had to rebuild her life again and again. And yet w...

Today’s episode is a short, thought-provoking reflection on the endings we all move through — the ones we choose, the ones that happen to us, and the ones that change us in ways we never expected.   In just 15 focused minutes, we explore:   •   why endings stir up such strong emotional responses   •   how to understand the difference between anticipated and sudden endings...

🎙️ Episode 34: A Session on High Performance Careers - with Steph McTighe In this episode, Dr Laura sits down with her long-time friend Steph McTighe, a specialist in dispute resolution, litigation, and arbitration, to explore what it really takes to thrive — and survive — in a high-performance career. Steph shares her journey from studying politics to qualifying in English law, and the press...

🎧 Episode: Lightening the Load Know Your Own Psychology Podcast with Dr Laura Williams. Ever feel like your brain has 50 tabs open — and you’re the only one who knows which ones are about to crash? That invisible weight of remembering, planning, and keeping life moving is what psychologists call mental load — and it can quietly drain your energy, focus, and emotional wellbeing. In this episode, D...

In the latest episode of my podcast, What to Do When You Feel Broken: The Book Edition, I take you behind the scenes of my book-writing journey, from winning the Hay House Writers Workshop competition to navigating procrastination and receiving endorsements from Mel Robbins and my former professor, Rory O’Connor. I share insights into the publication process, promoting the book, and the heartfelt...

Trigger Warning: This episode discusses topics related to suicide and suicidal ideation. In this thought-provoking episode, Dr. Laura Williams, clinical psychologist and trauma expert, sits down with Steven Cranston, widely known as The Soul Man, a respected medium who bridges the gap between the physical and spiritual worlds. Together, they explore the profound themes of ethical practice in both...

In this weeks episode of the podcast I talk about techniques we can all use to build our tolerance to distress and ability to regulate our emotions. We talk about strategies that can be found within Dialectical Behavioural Therapy or DBT, developed by Marsha Lineman and about how the aim is to widen our window of tolerance over time. I also share some examples from my own life in which I struggle...

In this podcast I talk to Sophie McGown. Sophie is the founder of EARSASS – a product based business selling striking statement earrings that she set up through the pandemic. In this episode, we discuss creativity, psychological wellbeing and how a traumatic life event catapulted Sophie into the conversation around mental health. This episode is such a beautiful reminder of how we can use the chal...