RAW CHATTER! Unfiltered Conversations on the Psychology of Addiction, Behaviour & High Performance

Have you ever realised that your life revolves around keeping everyone else happy; your partner, your parents, your kids, while quietly losing touch with yourself? In this episode, I unpack one of the most damaging and deeply conditioned beliefs many high-achievers carry: “Other people’s happiness is my responsibility.” It sounds caring. Noble. Loving. But over time, it fuels anxiety, resentment,...

If you’re feeling run down, fighting something off, or telling yourself you need to “get back on track,” this episode is for you. In this episode, I’m talking about why your immune system doesn’t recover through restriction, detoxes, or punishment and what actually helps your body reset after stress, illness, overwork, emotional overload, or reactive eating and drinking. This is not about being “g...

It's New Year’s Eve is tomorrow - and this is the episode most people should listen to before setting a single goal. In this solo episode of RAW CHATTER I breaks down why New Year’s resolutions fail year after year - and why it has nothing to do with motivation, discipline, or “not wanting it badly enough.” This is about how your brain actually works. I explains why too many goals overwhelm th...

Christmas isn’t hard because you lack willpower. It’s hard because food and alcohol are everywhere and they’ve become how you cope. If you look fine on the outside but feel restricted, out of control, ashamed, or exhausted on the inside, this episode is for you. In this episode, I talk honestly about: Why Christmas blows up food and alcohol struggles The restrict → binge → guilt cycle no one talks...

December has a way of exposing the habits we pretend aren’t a problem. In this solo episode of RAW CHATTER, Vicky Midwood breaks down why Christmas amplifies emotional eating, drinking, scrolling, people-pleasing and burnout - and why the real solution isn’t more willpower or better discipline. It’s self-honesty. We explore how early conditioning (“be good”, “don’t rock the boat”, “keep the peace”...

When your mum dies in July after an “85% success” prognosis in May - life tilts. In this raw, practical episode, Jenny Green (low-cost paid ads specialist, mum of 3, eldest daughter) shares how she carried all the paperwork, planning, emotional load and unspoken expectations - until she finally learned to say no. We dive into Christmas triggers, guilt, running & strength training as survival t...

In this raw episode of RAW CHATTER, we go behind the scenes of high-achievers and talk about the part of the day nobody sees: the night. When the house goes quiet but your brain doesn’t. When the pressure drops but your chest tightens. When you’re standing at the fridge, pouring a glass, eating what you don’t even taste - not because you’re hungry, but because you need the noise inside you to stop...

What if your triggers aren’t a trauma response to fear… but a message from your nervous system asking to be understood? In this episode of RAW CHATTER, we’re unpacking the real connection between triggers, trauma patterns, and avoidance behaviours - especially the ones high-achievers don’t like to admit: 🍷 nightly drinking 🍽 emotional eating 💻 overworking 😶 shutting down 😡 snapping at people y...

Most “protein bars” are just candy bars in gym clothes - packed with sugar, chemicals, and clever marketing. In this episode, Atlas Bars founder James Oliver shares how frustration, curiosity, and a $5K start-up budget led him to build a clean, low-sugar, high-protein bar that actually lives up to the label. From his 4am Uber shifts to survey testing, manufacturing challenges, and a clinical study...

When tragedy strikes, how do you keep living? In this powerful episode, Chandra shares losing her brother to gun violence- and how grief became the spark for founding a nonprofit, rebuilding identity, and coaching women to design their “third quarter” with intention. We cover: ✅ Why grief needs permission (and what that looks like in real life) ✅ Starting a foundation to serve under-resourced fa...

What if the path out of anxiety, fatigue and “I’m not myself” isn’t another pill - but plants, principles, and a whole-person blueprint that’s 5,000 years old? This week, Lila - clinical herbalist & Ayurveda practitioner shares her journey from lifelong anxiety, an eating disorder and corporate burnout to finding real healing through herbs, Ayurveda, and nervous-system care. We unpack what Ayu...

Ever wondered why you still feel bloated, foggy, or exhausted even when you “eat healthy”? In this episode, award-winning gut health specialist Rachel Crowder reveals how one overlooked habit - slowing down and chewing can solve up to 60% of digestive issues. We dive into the gut-brain connection, what your microbiome is trying to tell you, and how to use food intolerance testing the right way - w...

Karlie Thompson shouldn’t be here - consultants gave her a 5% chance. A fit, high-performing NHS comms leader, Karlie was put into a coma with pneumococcal pneumonia, developed sepsis, went into multi-organ failure, suffered a stroke on ECMO, and ultimately chose a bilateral below-knee amputation to live and walk again. This isn’t a tragedy story. It’s a masterclass in choice, grit, and joy in the...

What does it take to rebuild a life that almost ended before it began? In this raw, unfiltered conversation, I chat with Frances Bentley Speaker, Author, and Advocate for women and children shares how she survived extreme early-life violence, escaped years of abuse, and transformed trauma into purpose. We dive into generational patterns, the body’s memory, nervous-system tools, and how she ended t...

What happens when the man who’s always “held it together” finally breaks? In this episode, Chris Hemmings - former BBC journalist turned therapist and founder of Men’s Therapy Hub, shares how grief, cocaine, and burnout led him to create the UK’s first directory built by men, for men. We talk about: 💬 How addiction, masculinity, and shame silence men in pain 💬 Why half of men drop out of therapy...

In this episode of RAW CHATTER, Michelle Niemeyer shares her powerful journey from burnout and autoimmune struggle to building a thriving career helping others reclaim their time, energy, and joy. A former lawyer turned keynote speaker, coach, and creator of "The Art of Bending Time" Michelle reveals how hitting rock bottom opened the door to a new way of living and how you, too, can ben...

ADHD isn’t just about distraction. For many, especiallywomen diagnosed late - it’s about rejection sensitivity, hidden addictions, andburnout that feels like failure. In this episode, I break down what ADHD reallylooks like day-to-day, why RSD (Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria) drives people-pleasing and perfectionism, and how coping mechanisms like bulimia, alcohol, smoking, and overworking quietl...

Conscious life coach and Somatic attachment therapist share her story about shifting careers from being a gardener via writing courses and training to do women’s circles. She talks about being an anxious child, struggling with depression. We talk about the mind body connection and learning to feel emotions. Why physically releasing pent up emotions and trauma is so important and how you need to gi...

Addicted to Pressure: The Real Reason Midlife Feels So Heavy Why does midlife feel so heavy - even when you're doing everything right ? In this raw season finale, I'm naming what most high-achievers don't: We're not just burned out. We're addicted to pressure - to overworking, over-giving, controlling, proving. We say we want peace, but we choose urgency. We crave health, but w...

Think you're doing health "right"? Think again. In this solo episode, I bust some of the most common health myths still floating around: 😴 "You must get 8 hours sleep" 🥗 "Calories in, calories out is all that matters" 🍽 "Finish everything on your plate" 💉 "GLP-1s = guaranteed muscle loss + weight regain" If you’re ready for some blunt truth,...

What happens when you realise the life you’ve built - twice, maybe three times over- isn’t actually yours? In this raw and powerful episode, I sit down with confidence coach Nicky Massey, who shares the unfiltered truth behind her journey from “having it all” to losing everything and finding something far more important: herself. Nicky had what many would call a great childhood, but later realised...

In this powerful episode, I’m joined by Jarrod Cairns, a successful Sales Director turned business consultant who shares his raw and honest journey through addiction, recovery, and rebuilding his life and career. With a background in multiple industries and deep expertise in coaching, sales, CRM, and marketing, Jarrod looked like he had it all. But behind closed doors, he was struggling with alcoh...

Sleep is not a luxury, it's your brains operating system. In this solo epiosde I break down the real science behind sleep, stress, and performance - and why so many high-achieveres are unknowingly running on empty. I cover: Why one poor night’s sleep cuts focus by 30% What your brain really does while you sleep (hint: it’s not just rest) How stress acts like electricity in your body - invisibl...

In this solo episode I ask... What if you didn’t need a goal, a finish line, or a performance metric to justify your actions? I explore what it means to do things simply because they feel good - not because they make you better, more successful, or more acceptable. If you’ve ever found yourself chasing results, comparing yourself to others, or struggling to “earn” rest or joy, this is your reminde...

In this solo episode I talk about why as a smart person you don’t need a breakdown to want a breakthrough! You can be leading, delivering, performingAnd still wake up with food, alcohol, anxiety, guilt, or control running the show. This episode is for you if you are DONE. 🔹Done with pushing through. 🔹Done with feeling like a fraud. 🔹Done with trying to out-discipline the exhaustion .And are rea...