Open To Happiness

In this episode Nicoleta is chatting about relationships and happiness with Deb Morgan , relationship coach from Summerset, England. Why would a groom beat the bride on their wedding night? What is it like to live in multiple abusive relationships ? How important is our family dynamic in the development of a relationship roadmap? Why do we get comfortable and know “our place” in an abusive relatio...

In this episode Nicoleta explores the relationship between antidepressants and happiness with Brooke Siem, an award winning chef and mental health writer from Nevada, USA. Why do we put children on antidepressants when they lose their father at 15? How is life when you live on antidepressants from 15 to 30 and you are still depressed and suicidal ? Can you be so depressed to feel relieved at the t...

In this episode Nicoleta explores the relationship between economy and happiness with Michael Kelly, financial business consultant and founder of Investment Science from New York, USA. How does an economist look at happiness? Can an investor grasp happiness in between 2 deals? Do large corporations grow at the expense of everyone around us? Are the money raised by companies in Sillicon Valley spen...

In this episode Nicoleta chats about alcohol addiction with Gypsy Wonders a motivational speaker from Minnesota USA. Why is alcohol consumption keeping you in a state of disconnection from your real self ? How do you stop drinking to find who you really are beyond your addiction? Can you find love, happiness and joy when you stop drinking ? How do you wake up to a life you love? Why an unfulfilled...

 In this episode Nicoleta explores the relationship between resilience and happiness with Terry Tucker an author, motivational speaker and cancer survivor from Denver, USA. How is life for a college basketball player turned police investigator and SWAT hostage negotiator?  Why you should always go and do the things that scare you … What are the limits of human resilience ? How learning from your m...

In this episode Nicoleta chats about the relationship between gratitude and happiness with Deborah Hawkins, an author and blogger from Chicago, USA. Can you embrace gratitude after an unsured driver hits you and leaves you unable to walk ? What helps you to navigate depression in your 50s ? How do you develop a practice of gratitude ? Can you be intentional in creating an attitude of appreciation...

In this solo episodes Nicoleta explores the relationship between bereavement and happiness . Sharing her own experience of a very close family member sudden death , Nicoleta takes you through a number of very important questions: How do you  move through the shock of a dear person's death? What it means to lose someone fairly young? How it feels to find someone you just met died unexpectedly...

In this episode Nicoleta talks about the relationship between sanity and happiness with Wajid Hassan , actor, author and spiritual teacher based in North Carolina, USA. How is your perspective changed in life when you are born into a Muslim country , then you are raised in a Christian school in England , and then follow a yogi master and live your adult life in Los Angeles ? Are we spiritual being...

In this episodes Nicoleta chats about ageing and happiness with Clarissa Kristjansson , mindfulness and menopause coach, podcaster and speaker from Sweden. What does it feel to go through a burnout in your mid-50s when you are pre-menopausal, have extreme anxiety and you lose motivation in life ? Can you escape stuckness and loneliness with the aid of mindful living? Why are women still caught up...

In this episode Nicoleta explores the relationship between music and happiness with Hope Sheree , a spiritual soul artist, author, blogger and host of “A Dose Of Hope Radio” from Virginia USA. Selected out of thousands of applicants , Hope is one of the 50 artists to be part of the world’s greatest gospel choir established by the multi-Grammy and Oscar winner Pharrel Williams that has toured the w...

In this episode Nicoleta chats about menopause and happiness with Lisa Adams, registered nurse and yoga teacher from Manchester.  Find how Lisa embarked on a career in health care now spanning over 3 decades and in time developed interest in menopause and women’s health. Learn that there is not much happiness in the medical world due to organisational issues like underfunded services and overworke...

In this episode Nicoleta explores the relationship between self-love and happiness with therapist and coach Nicola Farnhill from Costa Blanca, Spain. Nicola shares how her traumatic childhood experience and her therapist mother informed her decision to become a therapist herself. They talk about the common experience of being therapists, about losing their mothers 10 years ago and what they learne...

In this second part of the interview with Desa Markovic, Prof. in Systemic Psychotherapy at Regents University London, Nicoleta continues to explore the relationship between sexuality, family dynamics and happiness. They look at the parenting styles and the importance of healthy boundaries and privacy in educating children. Sometimes we fail to notice how, as parents, we send messages about sex to...

In this episode Nicoleta explores the relationship between sexuality, family dynamics and happiness with Desa Markovic, Professor of Systemic Psychotherapy at Regent's University London. Inspired by her own personal journey in life, Serbian born Desa has dedicated more than 2 decades to the field of sexual and family health starting with her training in clinical psychology in Yugoslavia, “a c...

In this episode Nicoleta chats about the relationship between work in marketing and happiness with Ray Stanvius business developer for mental health professionals based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Ray shares the cultural shock he had when he moved from America to Catalonia in his 30’s despite his multicultural background having being born American from Argentinian mother and Lithuanian father...

In this episode Nicoleta chats about illness and happiness with Rachel Lett, registered nutritionist, expert in metabolic and gut health and Chief Care Officer at SPAN Health. Rachel shares her experience of fighting Hodgkin Lymphoma 3 times as a child at 10, 12 and 16 and the shock she had when she relapsed after 9 years in remission at 26. Born and raised on a farm, Rachel feels that her experie...

In this episode Nicoleta chats with Ray Baron Woolford, a civil rights activist, broadcaster and author from London. Ray shares his life story, how he came from nothing and created a life of service to pay back all those strangers that have been kind to him when he needed most.  Born out of rape and abandoned by his mother, Ray has started his life in children’s homes, where he never felt love and...

In this episode Nicoleta chats about the research and policy making in mental health with Sarah Hughes the CEO at Centre for Mental Health UK which has been at the heart of some of the biggest policy changes and investments in mental health for the past 2 decades. Having seen family members struggling with mental health distress, Sarah embarked on a career in mental health - now spanning over 3 de...

In this episode Nicoleta chats with Milton Lopes, an award winning actor, musician, writer and director from London about performance and happiness. Milton shares his fantastic life journey from being born in Cape Verde and raised in the artistic area of Almada in the 80’ when Portugal was struggling with high levels of heroin consumption which led to decriminalisation of drugs in the 90’. He chos...

In this episode Nicoleta has a soulful conversation with Lourdes-Anne Requena, life coach and Tai Chi & Qigong instructor from London.  Lou shares her personal story of clinical depression, anxiety, low confidence and double suicide attempt and how her healing journey unfolded.  She tried different avenues including counselling, psychotherapy, body movement and energy, and ended up working in...

In this episode Nicoleta has a delightful conversation with an inspiring accomplished entrepreneur, the CEO of Future Perfect Charles McLachlan.  Listen to his journey from growing up in a professional academic family, his years of computer science degree at Cambridge University and his challenge with a psychotic episode that relapsed whilst being a student and how he managed to overcome his menta...

In this 1st episode following the Pilot Season Nicoleta is doing her first solo podcast. She shares what she’s been doing during the 6 months break following the Pilot Season and why she rebranded the podcast from Mental Wellbeing Journey into Open to Happiness.  Nicoleta talks openly about her experience in the Pilot Season when she felt uncomfortable talking to the microphone and the screen and...

Are you aware that your lifestyle can make you ill? From diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure to anxiety, depression or cancer, they can all be avoided by making behavioural changes that keep you fit and healthy. In this 12th episode, the last in this 1st season, I chat with Patrick Samy, CEO at Span Health about the bridge between the old medical system and the pioneering digital medical car...

In this 11th episode Nicoleta chats with Wendy Harris, managing director at WAG Associates, a telemarketing training company from England about the Mental Health First Aid. Since emotions and feelings always factor in business and work as well as in our all interactions in life, the question is: are we able to develop that awareness around our mental health and the wellbeing of others?  Can you re...

Health is not the absence of illness, but rather a state of balance between the body, mind and our consciousness. In this 10th episode Nicoleta chats with Xenia Bolomiti, ayurvedic therapist and wellbeing coach from London, about the benefits of ayurveda called the "science of life" in the Eastern world. How has this eastern practice that preceded today's conventional medicine manag...