CAUTION: Contains swearing.Making changes in life and overcoming obstacles can sometimes seem insurmountable, but if this man can turn his life around, anyone can.Feel Better Live More Bitesize is my new weekly podcast for your mind, body and heart. Each week I’ll be featuring inspirational stories and practical tips from some of my former guests.Today’s clip is from episode 91 of the podcast with endurance athlete and author, John McAvoy.John was born into a notorious crime family and served 10 years in prison for armed robbery.In this clip he tells the inspirational story of how he turned his own life around and then helped positively influence the lives of others.John believes that he’s not exceptional – anyone can change, and everyone has a gift they were born to share. He believes legacy is important and the impact we have on others throughout our lives can help lift them up and change their lives for the better. The lessons and life advice John shares are relevant to each and every one of us.If there’s a change you want to make in your own life but you’re not sure where to start I hope this conversation gives you the encouragement to begin.Show notes and the full podcast are available at drchatterjee.com/91Follow me on instagram.com/drchatterjeeFollow me on facebook.com/DrChatterjeeFollow me on twitter.com/drchatterjeeukDISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

CAUTION ADVISED: This podcast contains themes of an adult nature.This week, I’ve decided to re-release a conversation that I had over 2 years ago, yet one that still remains one of the most important conversations that I’ve had to date on this podcast. Since I first released this conversation back on episode 37 of the podcast, the number of listeners has grown exponentially and I’m really keen that all of my new listeners hear this conversation. For those of you who have already heard the conversation, I think you will still get a huge amount of value from re-listening. Dr Gabor Maté is one of the world’s most revered thinkers on the psychology of addiction, his radical findings based on decades of work with patients, challenged by catastrophic drug addiction and mental illness are reframing how we view all human development.Dr Maté firmly believes that addiction is not a choice, neither is it all about drugs and illicit substances. Instead, he believes that addiction affects most of us – whether it be to alcohol, nicotine, sugar, work, or exercise…the list is endless. According to Dr. Maté, the source of addiction is not to be found in our genes but in our early childhood. He calls for a compassionate approach toward addiction, whether in ourselves or others. As he puts it, the question we need to ask is not why the addiction, but why the pain.We also talk about how we now live in a culture that doesn’t meet our human needs. Indeed, the conditions necessary for healthy child development are increasingly under threat in today’s society. We delve into how our emotional stress can translate into physical chronic illnesses. Loneliness and a lack of meaningful connection are on the rise, as are the rates of autoimmune disease and addiction.It was a real honour to sit down and talk eye-to-eye with Gabor about his truly revolutionary work. This was a deep and powerful conversation and I hope it helps you in your life.Show notes available at https://drchatterjee.com/169Follow me on instagram.com/drchatterjee/Follow me on facebook.com/DrChatterjee/Follow me on twitter.com/drchatterjeeukDISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We can all harness the power of intrinsic motivation – it can be the reason we get out of bed in the morning, go for that run or push ourselves out of our comfort zone.Feel Better Live More Bitesize is my new weekly podcast for your mind, body and heart. Each week I’ll be featuring inspirational stories and practical tips from some of my former guests.Today’s clip is from episode 73 of the podcast with strongman swimmer and adventurer, Ross Edgley.He’s the first ever swimmer to circumnavigate the whole of Great Britain without ever setting foot on land. This is just one of his extraordinary accomplishments, and in this clip Ross explains what he’s learned about mindset and the power of intrinsic motivation.Ross talks about his epic journey, how he kept going, and why understanding our true motivations can be so powerful.It doesn’t matter where you start, just start somewhere.Show notes and the full podcast are available at drchatterjee.com/73Follow me on instagram.com/drchatterjeeFollow me on facebook.com/DrChatterjeeFollow me on twitter.com/drchatterjeeukDISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week's guest is someone who I really respect - Dr. Tommy Wood has a biochemistry degree from the University of Cambridge, a medical degree from the University of Oxford and a PhD in physiology and neuroscience from the University of Oslo. He's currently a research assistant professor at the University of Washington, and he conducts research focusing on ways to increase resilience and treat injury in the developing brain. What I love about Tommy is that not only is his knowledge and education second to none, he's also got an incredible range of experience across a variety of different disciplines, which gives him a really broad perspective and an ability to see the big picture. Alongside his career in medicine and research, Tommy has invested a lot of time in developing easily accessible methods with which to track human health, performance and longevity. He’s published multiple scientific papers and lectured all over the world about the root causes of multiple sclerosis and insulin resistance.Tommy's goal, much like my own is to cut through the mixed health messages that we’re given in the media, by healthcare professionals, and even from scientific studies. His objective is to shine a light on the best way for people to approach these conflicting issues, and to help find ways to practically implement them in our daily lives. In this conversation, we cover a variety of fascinating different topics.We start off talking about fitness and endurance sports and how being fit might not be as healthy as you think. Tommy shares his own health journey through low self-esteem and orthorexia and we discuss how the language we use when talking about health is so important.We also cover the value of failure and how vital it is to keep challenging our brains as adults. Tommy explains the latest thinking on the various factors that can influence our brain health, from sleep and stress to movement and food.Finally, we touch on the crucial role that emotional health and human connection plays in brain health and the powerful idea that your brain needs a reason to be alive. I think one of the most empowering things to come out of this conversation is that the changes you need to make to improve your health and well-being are much smaller than you'd think. I hope you find this conversation inspiring.Show notes available at https://drchatterjee.com/167Follow me on instagram.com/drchatterjee/Follow me on facebook.com/DrChatterjee/Follow me on twitter.com/drchatterjeeukDISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We all know that exercise is good for our physical health, but exercise can be just as powerful for our mental health.Feel Better Live More Bitesize is my new weekly podcast for your mind, body and heart. Each week I’ll be featuring inspirational stories and practical tips from some of my former guests.Today’s clip is from episode 97 of the podcast with clinical-academic physiotherapist, Brendon Stubbs.His work is helping to provide much needed evidence of what we know instinctively - physical activity makes us feel good.In this clip he explains why movement is not just good for our body, but also for our mind and why you don’t need to exercise for hours to feel the benefits. Just 10 minutes of light exercise a day can result in meaningful changes happening within your brain.Show notes and the full podcast are available at drchatterjee.com/97Follow me on instagram.com/drchatterjee/Follow me on facebook.com/DrChatterjee/Follow me on twitter.com/drchatterjeeukDISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This conversation is about a really important topic - how we should talk about bias, discrimination and race. The advice is relevant for everyone, whether you have children or not but will be particularly helpful if you’ve ever felt confused or conflicted about how to talk to children about race. My guest is the brilliant Dr Pragya Agarwal, she’s a behavioural scientist, an academic, a journalist and an award-winning author, who has written widely on unconscious bias and prejudice, racial inequality, parenting and gender. Dr Agarwal’s most recent book Wish We Knew What To Say: Talking With Children About Race is a super-practical, readable manual for people of all backgrounds and ethnicities.I think many people want to get involved in the conversation around race and discrimination but can sometimes feel fearful and scared of saying the wrong thing. I had these common sentiments at the top of my mind when having this conversation with Dr Agarwal and I hope you will find this conversation non-judgmental and compassionate.We begin by talking about at what age it’s appropriate to bring up the subject of race with children – and why ignoring differences in race or skin my not be helpful if we want our children to thrive in a diverse, multi-cultural world. We also discuss the importance of proactively talking about race and privilege with your children no matter what your skin colour. In fact, research shows that when children witness racism, or even see it in the media, it can have adverse effects on their health and wellbeing – even if it’s not directed at them.Dr Agarwal and I share our own personal experiences of racism and why an open dialogue on these issues is vital. We talk about a wide range of related issues including, unpacking what bias really means, understanding where it comes from, and how to know what the right terminology is to use when it comes to race. I love how Pragya explains how we can help our children to stay comfortably curious but non-judgemental, how to teach them to recognise and address unfairness and how to discourage them from shame and guilt but promote empathy and allyship.  This episode is a hugely practical guide for anyone, of any skin colour, who wants to learn the methods, tools and vocabulary that we can use to talk about people’s differences. This really was a wonderful conversation and I hope that it will contribute towards a more equal and connected world.Show notes available at https://drchatterjee.com/165Follow me on instagram.com/drchatterjee/Follow me on facebook.com/DrChatterjee/Follow me on twitter.com/drchatterjeeukDISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We all have times when we lack self-confidence, but loss of confidence, low self-esteem and anxiety can sometimes hold us back and stop us living the life we want to live.Feel Better Live More Bitesize is my new weekly podcast for your mind, body and heart. Each week I’ll be featuring inspirational stories and practical tips from some of my former guests.Today’s clip is from episode 65 of the podcast with hypnotherapist, anxiety expert and author, Chloe Brotheridge.Chloe explains why it’s important to be kind to ourselves and how we can train our mind to have a more positive outlook in order to grow our confidence and self-esteem.Striving for perfection can be problematic and it’s important for us to acknowledge that sometimes we are going to fail. Chloe explains how we can reframe these ‘failures’ as learning experiences and focus on things being ‘good enough’.We discuss the power of journaling to help us process our thoughts and emotions.Chloe also recounts her own struggles with self-confidence and gives some great tips to help us decrease negative self-talk and cultivate more self-acceptance.Show notes and the full podcast are available at drchatterjee.com/65Follow me on instagram.com/drchatterjee/Follow me on facebook.com/DrChatterjee/Follow me on twitter.com/drchatterjeeukDISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

CAUTION ADVISED: this podcast contains mild bad language and themes of an adult nature.Today’s conversation is all about one of my favourite topics – compassion. But it’s not about compassion for others, it’s about compassion for ourselves and how this can lead to a happier and healthier life. Self-compassion is not only linked to better emotional health, it is important for our physical and mental health too. In fact, there are now over 3000 studies showing the amazing benefits of self-compassion on our wellbeing and my guest this week is one of the leading researchers in this area and along with several others, is responsible for putting self-compassion on the scientific map. Dr Kristin Neff is a professor at the University of Texas in the department of psychology. She’s co-founder of the Center for Mindful Self-Compassion and the author of several best-selling books on the topic.In our conversation, Kristin explains what self-compassion is and why it matters. She explains the difference between self-compassion and self-esteem. Self-compassion is not about making excuses for yourself nor is it about self-pity, instead, it is very much an active, mindful state. Now I know from my patients that the very notion of self-love can make a lot of people feel very uncomfortable. Kristin explains why this might be and shares many different ways we can give ourselves compassion. She recommends that people experiment and find a method that feels easy and pleasant for them.We also talk about the ever-present problem of our brain’s ‘inner critic’ and how our parents influence the way we talk to ourselves. She also explains why self-compassion is most definitely not selfish, in fact, people who have it are kinder, more loving and less controlling of others.Kristin also makes a key distinction between acts of self-care – such as taking a bath, having a massage – and self-compassion. She explains that self-compassion is actually a state of mind. It’s not something you have to do, it doesn’t take time or resources. It’s simply the opposite of being self-critical. It’s a way of thinking that has your own best interests at heart. But, this way of thinking doesn’t come naturally to us. As humans, we are hard-wired for self-criticism - it’s an evolutionary mechanism that makes us feel safe. But when navigating life, who do you want in your head: an enemy who belittles you or a friend who supports you?At the end of our conversation today, Kristin takes us through a beautiful practical exercise in finding self-compassion that I think you will really enjoy. This is such an important topic that doesn’t get spoken about enough in the conversation around health – I hope you enjoy listening.Show notes available at https://drchatterjee.com/163Follow me on instagram.com/drchatterjee/Follow me on facebook.com/DrChatterjee/Follow me on twitter.com/drchatterjeeukDISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rest isn’t an indulgence - it’s good for our health, our wellbeing and our productivity.Feel Better Live More Bitesize is my new weekly podcast for your mind, body and heart.  Each week I’ll be featuring inspirational stories and practical tips from some of my former guests.'Today’s clip is from episode 95 of the podcast with the award-winning broadcaster and author Claudia Hammond. In this clip she explains how our attitudes to rest and relaxation have changed and why busyness is often seen as a ‘badge of honour’. Rest seems to be something we do when everything else is done, if there’s time. But our ‘to do lists’ will never be done and we shouldn’t feel guilty about taking some downtime.Claudia reveals how to re-frame wasted time as rest time and how to find more opportunities for rest throughout the day.Rest means different things for different people, but it can be anything that helps you to relax and switch off. Rest can be active, like running, walking or reading.So, find out what works for you and schedule some time for rest to feel the many benefits for your body and mind.Show notes and the full podcast are available at drchatterjee.com/95Follow me on instagram.com/drchatterjee/Follow me on facebook.com/DrChatterjee/Follow me on twitter.com/drchatterjeeukDISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s episode is a little bit different to usual, it's a special compilation episode, all about how to look after our brains. The brain is our most vital and complex organ and it controls and coordinates all of our actions, thoughts and interactions with the world around us. It’s the source of our personality, our sense of self, and it shapes every aspect of our human experience. Yet most of us don't actually know or think that much about how our brains really work, and what we can do to improve its performance. So, this special episode aims to bring you some of the highlights from previous episodes of my podcast, all themed around the brain. You're going to hear about growing new nerve cells, how learning a new language can impact your brain, the powerful effects of music, as well as the importance of movement and human touch and so much more. My hope is that by the end of this podcast, you will have learned some new fascinating information about the brain, as well as some practical brain boosting strategies that you can adopt immediately. I really hope you enjoy listening.Show notes available at https://drchatterjee.com/161Follow me on instagram.com/drchatterjee/Follow me on facebook.com/DrChatterjee/Follow me on twitter.com/drchatterjeeukDISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.