On The Mend

We’re back! In this brand new season of On The Mend, Matt Willis opens up about what he’s been up to recently, alongside his struggles with overwhelm and the ongoing work of recovery. He shares what’s been helping, from hobbies to gratitude and sets the tone for a season full of raw, real conversations with guests, experts, and you.  Expect new segments, deeper honesty, and powerful stories a...

This week’s guest is the musician, actor, writer, and podcaster Jordan Stephens. Jordan’s probably best known for Rizzle Kicks, the chart-topping duo he formed with his friend Harley Alexander-Sule, back in 2008. He's since released music as a solo artist, starred in various TV and film projects, published a children’s book, and now he’s written a memoir: Avoidance, Drugs, Heartbreak and Dogs . In...

Matt is back with another social media special episode! Since so many of you resonated with Part 1 (episode: My Honest Thoughts On Social Media) we're bringing you a Part 2, where Matt is diving deeper into his relationship with his mobile phone. Matt spills some details on why he feels the need to take a break from social media, how he's doing it, and why others should consider it too. Plus, sinc...

This week’s guest is the entrepreneur and mental health advocate Dan Murray-Serter. Dan has ten years’ experience of building up businesses but, also, of winding them down. He’s spoken publicly about his failures, as well as his personal experience with anxiety, insomnia, depression, burnout, body dysmorphia and bulimia. And the steps Dan took towards improving his own mental and physical health,...

The secret is out… Matt Willis and his wife, Emma, are currently on a 3-week long social media break. They’re doing this alongside a group of year 8 students, whose experiment will be the star of an upcoming Channel 4 documentary. But what does Matt really think of all of this?  Before the experiment, we caught up with Matt to ask his honest opinion on social media. Is it a good thing? Bad thing?...

Gabby was the first female football anchor on terrestrial television and she’s perfected the art of asking great questions, while covering a wide range of international sporting events.  In this episode, Matt turns the tables on Gabby, and she speaks with great honesty, sharing moments and insights from her life and career. Sporty and very driven from an early age, Gabby competed at the Commonweal...

This week Matt is sharing the top 3 books that have shaped his life and his journey as a recovered addict. He’ll be breaking down exactly why they mean so much to him – and why you should consider checking them out too! Matt has sprinkled some bonus honourable mentions, plus some feedback from all of you lovely listeners! We recently asked Matt’s Instagram followers to recommend their life-changin...

This week’s guest is Johann Hari, whose books and TED Talks on depression, anxiety, and addiction have reached millions of people. His 2015 talk Everything You Think You Know About Addiction Is Wrong had a huge impact on Matt, changing how he thought about his own recovery. Matt then devoured Johann’s first book Chasing The Scream which looked at the war on drugs, through the story of Billie Holid...

This week, Matt is opening up about a topic that makes many of us uncomfortable… love! Matt and his wife, broadcaster Emma Willis, have been going strong for 20 years. They’ve been through high, lows and all sorts of addiction-related battles. If anything, they’ve come out of the other side stronger.  Since Matt and Emma began hosting the UK Series of Love Is Blind, the pair have been asked the sa...

Matt dives into the world of hypnosis with the psychiatrist Dr David Spiegel. In this episode, Matt finds out just how susceptible he is to hypnosis, with results that truly blow him away, and he gets some practical tips on how to reduce anxiety. Dr Spiegel is the Director of the Center on Stress and Health at Stanford University School of Medicine and a leading authority on hypnosis. He has 50 ye...

Matt is back in the hot seat for our second Q and A episode! We loved our first Q and A episode so much that we're back with a new round of questions from some of our listeners. Get ready to hear about a range of topics, as Matt opens up about being in a band as a recovering addict, how to best support an addict in your life, removing guilt from relapsing, and so much more. Missed the previous...

Matt chats to the BAFTA Award-winning YouTube star, and campaigner, Nikki Lilly. At the age of six, Nikki was diagnosed with a high flow craniofacial AVM (Arteriovenous Malformation). A rare condition which causes life-threatening nose bleeds and extreme swelling. Since then, Nikki’s had almost one hundred medical procedures, as well as therapy, to help process the trauma and pain. When Nikki star...

We’re 8 episodes into series 2 of On The Mend… and what a journey it’s been so far! It’s about time we looked back on some of our best moments. So today, Matt is reflecting on the lessons his recent guests have taught him. Unpicking the key messages that have stuck with him for weeks on end – and are sure to stick with you too.  We’re looking back on our chats with Geordie Queen Vicky Pattison, Al...

Matt speaks to his very own psychiatrist, Dr James Kustow, about adult ADHD. James studied medicine, before training in psychiatry. He’s now a consultant who specialises in ADHD and has trained further in psychotherapy and nutrition.  But being an expert is only half of the story. Because, like Matt, James was also diagnosed with ADHD as an adult. In this wide-ranging conversation, the pair talk a...

This week we're getting personal!  Matt is upping the vulnerability scale, as he lets the closest people in his life – colleagues, friends, and even his wife – fire a round of constructive criticism his way. Getting feedback about your flaws is extremely scary. But it's a powerful way to identify the things you need to work on. And if Matt can do it, so can all of you listening! Wherever y...

This week’s guest is Ruby Wax. A comedian, writer, and mental health advocate, who has wisdom to spare. When she was younger, Ruby often felt lonely - like she didn’t fit in - and she turned to comedy. A reinvention that gave Ruby a taste for attention and led her to drama school, and eventually her own television show in which she met the biggest celebrities of the day. After 25 years in televisi...

Matt is putting himself in the hot seat for today’s episode! We’ve rounded up some of your most pressing questions for an honest, judgment-free Q and A session, where Matt shares some of his own personal experiences in hopes that some of you guys will resonate. We’re diving deep into the aspects of sobriety nobody talks about, how to deal with anxiety, managing family life, and much more. If you h...

Matt meets Andy Ramage, a footballer who became a commodities broker, when injury ended his career.  While Andy's career was a success, something was missing. He felt broken. And so ten years ago, he embarked on a journey to transform his life. Andy realised that alcohol was impacting how he felt, and his ability to get things done. So, he set his sights on a 90 days booze-free challenge. And...

Matt is braving it for a solo episode this week! He’s stepping out of his comfort zone for a candid chat about a big part of any addict’s recovery: mental health. It’s a topic lots of our listeners have been asking Matt to open up about. So today, he’s breaking down the day-to-day practices that have helped him the most – and can help you too. Some of these habits Matt developed early on in his re...

Matt Willis returns for a second series of On The Mend. His first guest is Vicky Pattison, a Jungle Queen, whose feet haven’t touched the ground since she first appeared on our screens in 2011.  Geordie Shore was a baptism by fire, at a time when reality television was “a bit like the Wild West”. Vicky was only in her early 20s, she was unprepared for the spotlight, and she created a caricature of...

Matt Willis is joined by podcaster, charity founder and cancer activist, Lauren Mahon (and her dog, Ray). Lozza, as she likes to be called, talks to Matt about breaking the taboos around cancer, talking more openly about illnesses and death and how friends and family can really help in dark times. They discuss her own breast cancer diagnosis, which she got aged 31, her activism, her overactive bra...

On our latest episode, Matt Willis visits Dr Rangan Chatterjee at his home for an in-depth chat about mental health and wellbeing.  Rangan has practiced medicine for over 20 years and believes that good health is accessible to all of us. His goal is to change the way we look at illness and shares his learnings and expertise on his own podcast - 'Feel Better, Live More'  - which Matt was...

This week, Matt welcomes author, entrepreneur motivational speaker and personal trainer Tyrone Brennand to the studio. Tyrone is the founder of Be The Fittest , a personal training company in London, and has looked to exercise and yoga his whole life, to help him through hard times. He talks to Matt about some of the darkest times in his life, growing up without a father figure, his passion for yo...

On this week's episode of On The Mend, Matt is joined by the journalist, presenter, author and podcaster Raphael Rowe. Raphael was wrongly convicted of a crime in the late 1980s, and spent 12 years in prison. During that time, he never gave up trying to prove his innocence and never gave up hope, even in the darkest of times. Since being acquitted and released, Raphael has gone on to work for the...

This week's guest is the TV and Radio presenter, Rylan Clark. He joins Matt in the studio to talk about the brilliant highs and crushing lows he's experienced in his life recently. After exploding on to our TV screens in 2012, as a contestant on the X-Factor, Rylan has become one of the most recognisable personalities in the UK. Known for his high energy, laughter and fabulous teeth - he is hard t...