Psychologically Speaking with Leila Ainge

What happens when body shame isn't actually about your body? This week I'm joined by coach and facilitator Emma While, who decided to evict what she calls "the patriarchy squatting in my temple" by taking a beginners' burlesque class at 49. We talk about shame, visibility, motherhood, neurodivergence, identity, and why the scariest risks are sometimes the ones that bring us closest to ourselves. W...

Louise Duncum spent nearly a decade designing for major high street fashion brands before realising she'd become successful at something that no longer felt like her. In this episode we talk about leaving, comparison, taking on debt to grow a business, multiple identities, and why building a business that reflects who you are is riskier, but far more rewarding, than staying where you no longer fit...

In this episode of Psychologically Speaking, Leila Ainge is joined by strategic advisor and facilitator Rachel Cashman to explore the relationship between imposter phenomenon, risk taking, legitimacy, and trust. Rachel has worked across government, healthcare, defence, and the life sciences, helping leaders navigate high-stakes conversations, organisational conflict, and complex people dynamics. T...

Why do some things feel emotionally bigger than they “should”? In this bonus episode of Psychologically Speaking , psychologist and researcher Leila Ainge introduces The Hard Thing Challenge — a free five-day reflection challenge exploring the psychology behind difficult tasks, imposter feelings, avoidance, identity, and risk. This episode also introduces the next season of Psychologically Speakin...

What happens when loss changes everything—not just emotionally, but structurally? In this episode of Psychologically Speaking , Leila Ainge is joined by wellbeing consultant and psychotherapist Chrissy Orson to explore grief, identity shifts, and the moment your life no longer fits the way it used to. After losing both her sister and father within weeks during lockdown, Chrissy shares how grief di...

What happens when your life doesn’t follow the path you thought it would? A conversation on identity, belonging, and the courage to build a career that doesn’t look right on paper but feels right in your life. In this episode of Psychologically Speaking , I’m joined by coach and podcast host Fiorenza Rossini to explore identity, belonging, and the unexpected turns our careers can take. From financ...

We often assume interviews are a way of capturing what people already think. But qualitative psychology suggests something different. Interviews can be active sites of meaning-making, where thoughts are not just shared, but formed in real time. Drawing on ideas like the double hermeneutic from Anthony Giddens and reflexive approaches to qualitative research, I reflect on what it means to ask quest...

“I refuse to hate myself in any way… I hope women reclaim ageing as a gift.” When everything shifts at once, home, body, identity, what does it take to rebuild a sense of safety and self? Leila Ainge and Emma Seville explore menopause, midlife transitions, and the psychology of starting over. In this episode of Psychologically Speaking, psychologist Leila Ainge speaks with menopause coach Emma Sev...

Hi, I’m Leila, and I’m currently doing a PhD exploring the experiences of women who are independent workers, including entrepreneurs, freelancers, and the self-employed, who use online communities as part of their working lives. My first study is collecting data through a series of interviews with women and community hosts across two online communities where I’m also a paying member. These are spa...

In this episode of Psychologically Speaking , Leila Ainge speaks with entrepreneur Femke Harris about the unexpected twists that shape our lives. From growing up as a third-culture kid in Hong Kong to managing operations on a NATO base in Afghanistan, Femke’s career path has been anything but predictable. Together they explore the psychology of resilience, identity and adaptation when life doesn’t...

What if one of the most powerful mental health tools was already in your garden? In this episode, I’m joined by horticultural therapist Kendall Marie Platt to explore the science behind soil, why getting your hands in the dirt can change your mood, and how gardening might help us regulate stress in ways modern life often forgets. And in many ways, Kendall’s story captures the spirit of this season...

In this episode of Psychologically Speaking , Leila Ainge checks back in with coaches Emma Thomas and Lucy Green a few months after they set ambitious business goals. The conversation reveals how real progress unfolds. Emma shares how a community project had to pause due to unforeseen circumstances and teases us with a new book project!. Lucy reflects on launching her programme Good Company , whic...

In this episode of Psychologically Speaking , Leila is joined by three Goal Sprint participants, Hannah Isted, Jen Vaughan and Darren Scotland, for an honest progress check-in just weeks into the year. Together they explore: • Why momentum matters more than motivation • How perfectionismblocks progress (and how to move anyway) • The psychology of getting out of your comfort zone from running faste...

What actually happens to your confidence once you start pursuing a goal? In this episode of Psychologically Speaking , psychologist Leila Ainge checks back in with three creatives who set goals on the podcast weeks earlier, Graphic Designer Bhavini, Animator Duncan and Documentary Maker Dany. Instead of tidy success stories, you’ll hear what goal pursuit looks like in real life, confidence rising...

Why do resolutions wobble just when we think they should be working? This episode explores avoidance crafting, impatience, burnout, and how goals, habits, and mental distance shape real progress especially in January. In this episode of Psychologically Speaking, Leila explores the intricacies of human behavior, particularly focusing on the themes of resolutions, goals, and habits. She discusses th...

Why do goals that feel exciting at first suddenly become exhausting even when we care deeply about them? In this episode of Psychologically Speaking , I explore why goals often become unsustainable not because of a lack of motivation or discipline , but because they’re designed for ideal conditions rather than real life. Drawing on psychology, environmental thinking, and embodied cognition, we loo...

Bonus Episode

In this deeply honest and energising episode of Psychologically Speaking, Dany Johnston — data & AI consultant, documentary filmmaker, and PhD researcher — shares her most ambitious and vulnerable goal yet: to create and release a new documentary filmed during a once-in-a-lifetime expedition to the Arctic Circle. Dany’s story is one of dual passions: 25 years in business transformation and dat...

In this episode of Psychologically Speaking , Emma returns to share her 2026 goal — and it’s one that will resonate with anyone whose business has grown faster than their systems. Emma describes the year ahead as a “cupboard under the stairs” moment — the kind of messy-but-essential reorganisation that requires everything to come out before the clarity goes back in. We talk about the three strands...

A conversation about creative confidence, goal setting, and how sharing your work builds self-worth. Designer Bhavini joins Leila to explore fear, visibility, and growth. In this episode of Psychologically Speaking , Leila Ainge sits down with creative designer Bhavini (B81 Designs) to explore the psychology behind creative confidence, self-worth, and setting goals that stretch you. Bhavini shares...

In this episode of Psychologically Speaking , Leila talks with marketer, community-builder and marathon-in-training Hannah Isted , about her 2026 goals. Together, they explore how ambitious stretch goals like scaling a marketing membership and finishing the London Marathon in a faster time, require the same core ingredients: consistency , accountability , community , and strategic planning . This...

In this episode of Psychologically Speaking: The Goal Experiments , Lucy shares her 2026 goal, not just for her business, but for the women who benefit when she succeeds. We talk about what it means to set a goal that has social impact. Lucy’s ambition is grounded in something practical: helping more women secure meaningful contracts and build financially independent businesses. This is a grounded...

In this episode of Psychologically Speaking: The Goal Experiments , animator and filmmaker Duncan Catterall-Mason talks to Leila Ainge on what it really takes to build a sustainable freelance career in the creative industries. They talk about ambition and burnout when you’re raising a family and trying to carve out time to network. Duncan shares his 16-year journey in animation and visual effects,...

Why do some goals stick while others fade? In this episode, psychologist Leila Ainge explores the psychology behind effective goal-setting — blending insights from real conversations with three guests and research on motivation, social identity, and resilience. You’ll hear how Rebecca , Jen , and Darren each navigate creative ambition, self-belief, and belonging, and how their stories reveal the d...

Designer and illustrator Darren Scotland , founder of Ace of Place , joins psychologist Leila Ainge to talk about creative ambition, belonging, and the self-doubt that often comes with growth. Darren’s 2026 goal is to grow his business from a solo studio into a collaborative creative brand — one that celebrates homes, buildings, and the stories that make them meaningful. Together, he and Leila unp...