Happy Place

Are you aware of the importance of relationships and human connection to your happiness? Psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, and Zen priest Robert ‘Bob’ Waldinger leads the world’s longest scientific study of happiness, and has found relationships to be crucial.In this chat, Bob tells Fearne how much of a role genetics plays in happiness, and how much we really do have control over. They also talk about the difference between being around people and really being present with them, as well as how to start prioritising relationships over other traditional markers of success.Bob’s book, co-authored with Marc Schulz, is called The Good Life and is out now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Giving yourself permission to enjoy something is a discipline that requires practice. This is just one of the many lessons snooker player Ronnie O’Sullivan has learnt as he’s changed his approach to the game over the years. In this chat with Fearne, Ronnie talks about how he would now always choose happiness over traditional markers of success, and how his challenging childhood made him incredibly resilient and able to cope with change, injustice, and adversity.  In Ronnie's latest book, Unbreakable, he shares what it takes to be the very best in your field. It's out on 11th May.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this special episode in partnership with The National Lottery, Fearne speaks to East Londoner Steve Barnabis who's dedicated his life to saving children from knife crime. He’s spent his entire career working to improve the lives of young people, to tackle youth violence, and create safe spaces for children and teens to express themselves. After meeting the Royals at a Big Lunch event last year, Steve, together with his organisation Project Zero, and the local community, will be putting on his own Coronation Big Lunch over the bank holiday weekend. The Big Lunch, made possible by National Lottery Players, brings millions of people together annually to boost community spirit, whilst encouraging neighbours to share friendship, food and fun. In this chat with Fearne, Steve explains how understanding the root causes of knife violence – mental health, school performance, home life anxieties – is the key to reducing anti-social and offending behaviour, and promoting social inclusion. He also opens up about how knife crime has directly affected his family. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kate Ferdinand found herself with three step children when she fell in love and moved in with now-husband Rio six years ago. Since then, she’s become a supportive voice for others with blended families.In this chat, Fearne and Kate talk about how proud they both are of the relationships their step and biological children have, as well as why their fear of rejection is stronger with their step children than their biological children. Plus, Kate explains why she feels consistency and communication have been the most important principles in creating a harmonious family. Kate’s book, How To Build A Family, is published by Happy Place Books and is out on May 11th. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Self-compassion is vital in manifesting. Meditation teacher and mentor Joey Hulin knows we have to believe that we deserve good things in order to lean into going after them. In this chat with Fearne, Joey explains that manifesting means intentionally thinking about, and working hard towards the things we want in our lives. We have to really embody our desires if we’re to achieve our dreams. They also chat about where science and mysticism meet, the concept of luck, and whether we should be doing spells... Joey’s new book, ‘Your Manifesting Year’ is published by Happy Place Books, and is out now.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are you conscious of the importance of connecting with nature? Does it help you better connect with yourself? That’s certainly the case for Charlotte Church. After years in the spotlight as a singer, Charlotte has now created The Dreaming – a wellness retreat in the heart of Wales. In this chat with Fearne, she explains how things like being outside, the power of sound, and generally having a slower pace of life have helped her heal from grief. They also talk about the importance of play as adults. You can book your stay at The Dreaming here: https://www.thedreaming.co.uk/Use Code "HAPPYPLACE" for 10% off a retreat. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Setting boundaries might feel uncomfortable and sound callous, but best-selling author Melissa Urban believes setting boundaries is one of the kindest things you can do in any relationship. In this chat with Fearne, Melissa explains how to start small when it comes to learning to set boundaries – casually saying ‘no’ to another glass of wine, for example – before moving on to setting boundaries with people in your life who might be seriously draining your energy. Plus, she tells Fearne why over-explaining often makes our lives more difficult. Melissa’s book, ‘The Book of Boundaries: Set the limits that will set you free’, is out now from Vermilion.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this special episode, Fearne chats to fellow podcaster and great friend Elizabeth Day about the episodes of both Happy Place and How To Fail that have changed their lives. Talking to Roman Kemp about mental health has made Fearne think about how she should chat to her own children about depression, and Elizabeth took a lot away from her episode on how to relieve your own suffering with Mo Gawdat. Having listened to a Happy Place episode with Rio and Kate Ferdinand, they both share their experiences of parenting step-children, as well as reflecting on episodes with Emily Ratajkowski, Phoebe-Waller Bridge, and Alexandra Burke. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are you conscious of fear and shame driving your behaviour? Cyclist Bradley Wiggins feels those emotions have dictated a lot of his decision making across his life. In this chat with Fearne, Bradley explains that putting all his energy into become a great cyclist was a distraction from childhood traumas. In order to cope with the aftermath of being groomed by a coach as a teenager, and having an absent father, he created a larger than life public-facing character. Now, he’s figuring out who he really is, and what he really cares about. Find out more about NSPCC’s Listen Up Speak Up campaign: https://www.nspcc.org.uk/support-us/listen-up-speak-up/ Join Team Mind for Ride London: https://www.mind.org.uk/get-involved/donate-or-fundraise/take-on-an-active-challenge/cycle-for-mind/2023-ridelondon-essex-100/?bs=1 Content warning: This episode contains frank chat about child abuse, so do take care while listening. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Spencer Matthews was 10 years old when his older brother Michael became the youngest Brit to reach the summit of Everest in 1999. On his descent, he encountered a number of unfortunate circumstances and was never seen again. Over two decades later, Spencer decided to retrace his brother’s steps in the hope of recovering his body, and in the process piece together an image of who his brother was. In this chat with Fearne, Spencer talks about the emotions that have surfaced for him as a result of this operation – thought to be the highest search and recovery mission in history. He also explores how he’s starting to understand how his alcoholism might have been linked to the feelings he hasn’t given voice to until now. Finding Michael is streaming now on Disney+. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.