Hurt to Healing

This episode might be one of the most confronting and important conversations I’ve ever had. I’m joined by psychoanalyst, parent coach and author Erica Komisar to talk about the emotional and neurological development of children in the earliest years of life – and why those first three years matter more than we’ve been led to believe.Erica doesn’t sugarcoat things. She talks openly about how modern parenting culture – especially the pressure on mothers to “do it all” – is clashing with what babies actually need to feel safe, regulated, and securely attached. We explore everything from daycare and maternal instinct to eating disorders, attachment trauma, and the long-term mental health effects of early separation.It’s a conversation that may stir discomfort, but that’s kind of the point. Because if we want to raise healthy, emotionally resilient children – or begin to heal from our own childhood wounds – we have to be willing to look at the hard truths.Find Erica:Instagram: @ericakomisarWebsite: https://www.ericakomisar.com/Try Bettervits for yourself, head on over to bettervits.co.uk and get 15% off your 1st order with my code PANDORA15.Stay Connected with Hurt to Healing:Instagram: instagram.com/hurttohealingpodTikTok: tiktok.com/@hurttohealingpodLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/hurt-to-healingSubstack: substack.com/@hurttohealingWebsite: hurttohealing.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today’s HEALING 101 episode, I speak with broadcaster and host of This Was Always Me, Rich Clarke and we get really honest about shame, identity, and what it’s like growing up feeling like you have to hide who you are.Rich opens up about internalised homophobia, the impact of staying silent for years, and why “coming out” still feels like this weird performance — when really, it should just be… living.It’s moving, it’s raw, and it’s also full of hope. If you’ve ever struggled to accept a part of yourself then this one’s for you.Try Bettervits for yourself, head on over to bettervits.co.uk and get 15% off your 1st order with my code PANDORA15.Find Rich Clarke:Instagram: @therichclarkeListen to This Was Always Me Podcast: https://www.globalplayer.com/podcasts/42L3VY/Stay Connected with Hurt to Healing:Instagram: instagram.com/hurttohealingpodTikTok: tiktok.com/@hurttohealingpodLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/hurt-to-healingSubstack: substack.com/@hurttohealingWebsite: hurttohealing.co.ukIf you’re struggling, consider therapy with our paid partner. Visit https://betterhelp.com/hurttohealing for a discount on your first month of therapy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What if the person who seems to have it all together is actually struggling in silence?In this episode, I’m joined by the extraordinary Dr. Judith Joseph – psychiatrist, researcher, and author of High Functioning – to unpack a form of depression that so many people relate to but rarely talk about: high-functioning depression.We dive into why it’s often missed, how it hides behind achievement, and what it really means to live without joy – even while ticking every box of a “successful” life.Dr. Judith shares insights from her groundbreaking research and her own personal experience, with wisdom that’s as validating as it is actionable. We also explore the mind-body connection, the role of trauma, and the small but powerful “points of joy” we can reclaim in our everyday lives.Whether you're running on empty or supporting someone who is, this conversation will help you feel seen – and maybe even a little more hopeful.Try Bettervits for yourself, head on over to bettervits.co.uk and get 15% off your 1st order with my code PANDORA15.Find Dr Judith Joseph:Website: https://drjudithjoseph.com/Book: https://amzn.eu/d/bZZreAaInstagram: @drjudithjosephStay Connected with Hurt to Healing:Instagram: instagram.com/hurttohealingpodTikTok: tiktok.com/@hurttohealingpodLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/hurt-to-healingSubstack: substack.com/@hurttohealingWebsite: hurttohealing.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you're a parent, a loved one, or just someone who’s struggled with food or body image – this episode is essential listening. I’m joined by the brilliant Dr. Anna Colton, clinical psychologist and eating disorder specialist, for a conversation that is raw, practical, and full of compassion. We explore the early warning signs of eating disorders, why binge eating is so misunderstood, and how things like orthorexia and ARFID can quietly take root – especially in a culture obsessed with control and “clean” eating.Anna has this amazing way of cutting through shame and helping us see these behaviours for what they really are: ways of coping with deep pain. Whether you're navigating this yourself, or supporting someone you love, I hope this episode brings clarity, comfort, and a big exhale.Try Bettervits for yourself, head on over to bettervits.co.uk and get 15% off your 1st order with my code PANDORA15.If you’re struggling, consider therapy with our paid partner. Visit https://betterhelp.com/hurttohealing for a discount on your first month of therapy.Find Anna: Website: https://www.dranna.co.uk/aboutInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/drannacoltonBook (Amazon): https://www.amazon.com/How-Talk-Children-About-Food/dp/1785120557Stay Connected with Hurt to Healing:Instagram: instagram.com/hurttohealingpodTikTok: tiktok.com/@hurttohealingpodLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/hurt-to-healingSubstack: substack.com/@hurttohealingWebsite: hurttohealing.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today’s episode, I sit down with the actual founder of Internal Family Systems, Dr. Dick Schwartz. IFS isn’t just another therapeutic tool or model – it’s a whole new lens through which to see ourselves. One that says we’re not broken, or bad, or beyond help – but actually, beautifully complex. That all these parts of us – the inner critic, the perfectionist, the compulsive exerciser, the overachiever, even the saboteur – are just trying, in their own often misguided ways, to protect us.And as you’ll hear, I didn’t just interview Dick... I sort of unintentionally did a live therapy session. We went there – deep into my own OCD patterns, back to my four-year-old self, and through to a place I hadn’t allowed myself to revisit in decades.There are uncomfortable moments. There are some very big emotions. But please stick with it – because what unfolds is something quietly powerful. Healing doesn’t always come with fireworks. Sometimes it’s the quiet relief of simply being seen.If you’ve ever felt like your behaviours are betraying you – or like you’ve lost your sense of self beneath the weight of coping mechanisms – I think you’ll find something in this. Maybe even a softening. I certainly did.Try Bettervits for yourself, head on over to bettervits.co.uk and get 15% off your 1st order with my code PANDORA15.Find Dick:Website: https://ifs-institute.com/about-us/richard-c-schwartz-phdStay Connected with Hurt to Healing:Instagram: instagram.com/hurttohealingpodTikTok: tiktok.com/@hurttohealingpodLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/hurt-to-healingSubstack: substack.com/@hurttohealingWebsite: hurttohealing.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

So, today’s episode is with someone I absolutely love having on the podcast - James Withey. He’s been on Healing 101 not once, but twice before, and both times were full of that honest, no-nonsense kind of wisdom that just really hits. If you haven’t already listened to those episodes, I’d really recommend going back and giving them a go. This time, we’re talking about something so many of us wrestle with: self-esteem. That nagging feeling that you’re not good enough, or that you’re somehow flawed at your core. James has written a beautiful, practical book called How to Sort Your Self-Esteem - and in true James fashion, he cuts right through the fluffy stuff.We talk about why the “just love yourself” message is kind of unhelpful when you’re deep in self-doubt, how to spot those little moments of self-criticism that chip away at you, and how we can start — gently — to believe that we’re actually okay. Not perfect, not dazzling - just… okay. And how that can be enough. I found this conversation really helpful, and I think you might too.Buy James's book on Self-Esteem: https://amzn.eu/d/hRjSUbbTry Bettervits for yourself, head on over to bettervits.co.uk and get 15% off your 1st order with my code PANDORA15.Stay Connected with Hurt to Healing:Instagram: instagram.com/hurttohealingpodTikTok: tiktok.com/@hurttohealingpodLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/hurt-to-healingSubstack: substack.com/@hurttohealingWebsite: hurttohealing.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

So this episode is with the brilliant Rosie Viva - model, mental health advocate, long-distance runner, and now author of the incredibly honest and moving book Completely Normal and Totally Fine (which I love the title of, by the way - it kind of says everything in four words).Rosie was diagnosed with bipolar one after a full-blown psychotic episode at Stansted Airport - which she talks about here in such raw and courageous detail. And we really go there - the experience of being sectioned, what psychosis actually feels like, the shame and silence that can come after, and the long road back to yourself.She also shares so many helpful insights - what helps her manage the highs and the lows, how running (not in the cliché Instagram way, but in a very real, grounded way) became part of her healing, and what people can actually do to support a friend who’s struggling with bipolar or depression or just... anything, really.Rosie’s humour, honesty and total lack of self-pity make this conversation so powerful. It’s one of those episodes I think people will go back to more than once. I’m really grateful to her for sharing so openly and I hope it resonates with you as much as it did with me.Try Bettervits for yourself, head on over to bettervits.co.uk and get 15% off your 1st order with my code PANDORA15.Find Rosie:Instagram: @rosievivaRead her book: https://amzn.eu/d/7xvlGGAFind out more and get support for Bipolar at https://www.bipolaruk.org/Stay Connected with Hurt to Healing:Instagram: instagram.com/hurttohealingpodTikTok: tiktok.com/@hurttohealingpodLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/hurt-to-healingSubstack: substack.com/@hurttohealingWebsite: hurttohealing.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back to Healing 101. This is Part 2 of my conversation with Dr. Sami Tamimi, where we continue peeling back the layers of how we understand mental health and emotional pain.In this episode, Sami shares his thoughts on the impact of COVID, helicopter parenting, and how our culture's obsession with control and certainty may be contributing to rising levels of anxiety and distress—especially among young people.We discuss the ‘treatment-prevention paradox,’ why current mental health services may be better at creating long-term patients than solving distress, and what a new, more humane paradigm might look like.If you've ever felt defined by your diagnosis or dismissed by your struggle, this episode is for you.I highly recommend you try Bettervits for yourself, head on over to bettervits.co.uk and get 15% off your 1st order with my code PANDORA15.If you’re struggling, consider therapy with our paid partner. Visit https://betterhelp.com/hurttohealing for a discount on your first month of therapy..Find Sami Timimi:Website & Resources: https://www.samitimimi.co.uk/Read Searching for Normal: https://amzn.eu/d/fAhMxgHStay Connected with Hurt to Healing:Instagram: instagram.com/hurttohealingpodTikTok: tiktok.com/@hurttohealingpodLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/hurt-to-healingSubstack: substack.com/@hurttohealingWebsite: hurttohealing.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

So, I just want to say upfront — this is one of those conversations that really stays with you. Today I’m talking to the brilliant Helen Kirwan-Taylor, who honestly blew me away with how open, and completely unfiltered she is about trauma — real trauma. Helen lost her sister in an unimaginably tragic way when she was 12, and we talk about what happens when no one around you talks about it, and you're just expected to get on with things — and how that silence seeps into everything: your body, your relationships, your anxiety, your ability to feel safe.What I found so powerful is how Helen challenges a lot of the current language around trauma — she talks about the difference between real, shattering trauma and what she sees as the overuse of the term in pop culture. But she also gets into what it actually looks like when your nervous system doesn’t feel safe for years — the health stuff, the spirals, the coping. And she does it all with this really sharp, self-aware humour that just cuts through the heaviness. It’s a big, honest conversation — and I’m really grateful she had it with me but a warning for anyone who may find references to murder, death and grief triggering as this might not be one for you.Try Bettervits for yourself, head on over to bettervits.co.uk and get 15% off your 1st order with my code PANDORA15.Find Helen:Instagram: @helenkirwantaylor Stay Connected with Hurt to Healing:Instagram: instagram.com/hurttohealingpodTikTok: tiktok.com/@hurttohealingpodLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/hurt-to-healingSubstack: substack.com/@hurttohealingWebsite: hurttohealing.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to Healing 101, and today, we're bringing you Part 1 of a two-part conversation with the extraordinary Dr. Sami Timimi—psychiatrist, author, and a powerful voice challenging mainstream ideas around mental health.In this first half, we explore fundamental questions: What is mental health, and just as importantly, what isn’t it? Sami shares his perspective on the subjectivity of psychiatric diagnoses, the dangers of over-medicalisation, and the false binary between mental health and mental illness.We also discuss the cultural and commercial forces shaping our definitions of distress, and how the concept of ‘normal’ might be more harmful than helpful.Get ready to question everything you thought you knew about diagnosis, disorder, and what it means to suffer.I highly recommend you try Bettervits for yourself, head on over to bettervits.co.uk and get 15% off your 1st order with my code PANDORA15.If you’re struggling, consider therapy with our paid partner. Visit https://betterhelp.com/hurttohealing for a discount on your first month of therapy..Find Sami Timimi:Website & Resources: https://www.samitimimi.co.uk/Read Searching for Normal: https://amzn.eu/d/fAhMxgHStay Connected with Hurt to Healing:Instagram: instagram.com/hurttohealingpodTikTok: tiktok.com/@hurttohealingpodLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/hurt-to-healingSubstack: substack.com/@hurttohealingWebsite: hurttohealing.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.