Let’s Talk About Self-Harm

In this episode, I talk with psychotherapist and art therapist, Tatjana Simakova about her own personal journey growing up with trauma. She shares with me her professional insights into the complexities of parenting and mental health, and why she enjoys the work she does. We discuss the importance of emotional support and effective strategies for engaging with teenagers. The conversation also touc...

In this engaging conversation with Jovanna Vidal, she shares with me her journey from corporate life to becoming an actor, author, and speaker on young people and mental health. We discuss the challenges faced by today's teens, including anxiety, cyberbullying, and the impact of social media. Through her work with Darman Studios and her book 'Teen Anxiety No More', which was no 1 on Amazon’s bests...

In this conversation, marriage and family therapistJan Talen discusses the intricate dynamics of parenting and marriage. We talk about the importance of maintaining a strong connection between partners while navigating the challenges of parenthood. The discussion covers various topics, including the need for cooperative parenting, effective communication, conflict resolution, and the significance...

"Struggle is essential for personal growth andresilience." Frank & I discuss how we can best equip young people to become more resilient and to accept life's challenges.

In this episode, Frank and I discuss the increasing mentalhealth challenges faced by individuals today, particularly in the context of parenting and young people. We explore how societal changes, including the riseof social media and the 24-hour news cycle, contribute to anxiety and depression. The discussion highlights the importance of resilience in youth and the impact of parenting styles on ch...

The challenge of finding a meaningful connection in the age of swiping right.

Ayush and I had a fascinating conversation about all things Gen Z. We looked at the Generation born between 1997 and 2012 and asked what makes them so different from any other generation we’ve ever experienced. Ayush began by breaking their world down into four separate parts – the workforce, society, technology and romance. It was such an interesting conversation because, as the mother of two Gen...

By supporting children's basic needs before pushing them academically results in better outcomes.

Nick is a former primary school teacher, here in the UK, he’s the founder of CHI Education – Creating Healthy Individuals and runs a Mental Health First Aid course for teenagers. Nick’s mission is to help young people develop self-confidence by taking control of their own mental wellbeing. Nick has won an award for his programme, has written four books so far on mindfulness and works with schools...

Joanna is a hypnotherapist, medium, quantum channeller, and a mother. Growing up, Joanna felt lonely and misunderstood. She self-harmed and ran away from home hoping her parents would notice her, to simply love her. Joanna talks about how her refuge was her connection to the spiritual world which gave her solace when her mother walked away leaving Joanna, her brother and her father on their own. A...

I last interviewed Richard in December 2021 when we were just emerging from the Covid-lock downs and now 3 years later, he’s returned to my podcast to talk to me about the latest what the latest research on substance misuse tells us. Richard is a retired addictions counsellor and has worked in treatment clinics with young people for many years. He describes the early warning signs parents need to...

In this episode, I speak to Thomas about neurodiversity and mental health. Thomas runs creative storytelling workshops for vulnerable people with disabilities, struggling with their mental health and those on the neurodiversity spectrum in a sensory-friendly environment. We spoke about the importance of creating inclusive communities where people who are perceived different don’t feel marginalised...

In today’s episode, Maureen tells me why she’s so passionate about helping other parents after one of her daughters was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at a young age after an earlier diagnosis several years before of neuroblastoma, a form of cancer.

My conversation with Wayne covered so many interesting aspects about self-harm, trauma, suicide, the effects of Covid on the younger generation and why parents shouldn’t make their child’s mental health about themselves so that they can provide the best possible support. I hope you enjoy this episode and if you do, then please leave a comment below.

In my latest interview with Susan Schwartz, we talked about her latest book: Imposter Syndrome and The As-If Personality. We discussed the importance of being real and what that actually means in the world of social media, and how do we navigate our way through the confusion to find ourselves again. No matter how successful a person might be, it seems that a large majority of us would confess to f...

Ana has devised a very successful parenting programme that walks parents through how to help and support their teen through depression and mental health issues. Ana is a trained psychologist who struggled with her own mental health and health issues and in this episode, we talked about her desire to help parents and teenagers, her methodology and her philosophy on life. Ana teaches parents what sh...

In my second interview with Richard, we wanted to look at how the pandemic had affected young people in regards to their drug and alcohol use, and how that has impacted the rise in mental health illnesses we are witnessing across the globe. We also talked about the differences in the ways that girls and boys misuse substances and how we as parents and adults should start a conversation with them a...

I was honoured and delighted when Harshil reached out to me and asked if we could do a follow up podcast interview on his journey with self-harm and depression. It’s a year ago since we recorded our first conversation and now, at 16, Harshil has matured into a lovely, well-rounded and intelligent young man grappling with the complexities of like just like all of us.  Harshil's story gives us...

The earlier parents can start a conversation with their child about the dangers of drugs and alcohol, and it's effects on the developing brain, the better. That's why I was so pleased to interview Richard Capriola, an addiction counsellor, who has just written a book called "The Addicted Child". In this episode we discuss how to spot signs of addiction, how to have a conversation with our teen abo...

In this episode, we conclude my conversation with Aaliyah. The journey picks up with Aaliyah, aged 19, having left home and now living in a large room with her girlfriend and her girlfriend's boyfriend and baby. Aaliyah leaves and ends up in an abusive and violent relationship managing to escape with her life. From there she becomes pregnant with a guy she went out on one date with. Its quite a ro...

In this episode, it's a two-conversation that I had with Aaliyah, a young woman who talks very openly and candidly about what life was like growing up in the States. Aaliyah was diagnosed with epilepsy at the age of 2 and, in her own words, her life starting spiralling downwards from that point on. She moved from school to school, across different parts of the country, experienced bullying everywh...

In this episode, I talk with Gladys about her work as a coach helping working moms in the corporate world master the complexities of being a parent and the demands of a job.  Getting the balance right isn't easy and we referred to it as a 'blend' where the one role merges with the other and becomes inseparable. So sometimes we find ourselves doing more parenting and at other times our executi...

In this episode I talk to Carolyne about her years of going through depression and alcohol addiction. We talked about the impact of growing up with emotionally unavailable parents and how that affected her life from a very young age. Carolyne spoke about the importance of having an accountability buddy to check in with and to call whenever she's struggling. An important message to all of us about...

In this episode, I talk to Fern about parenting and how to built a better relationship with your teenager by setting firm boundaries and communicating effectively.

In this episode, I talk with Cecilia who gives a grandmother’s perspective on self-harm and how we can reconnect with our families in a positive way. Cecilia also talks about ways in which grandparents can offer their support.