

Happy Place
Fearne Cotton
Fearne Cotton talks to incredible people about life, love, loss, and everything in-between as she reveals what happiness means to them. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jun 28, 2024 • 36min
How to stick two fingers up to beauty standards
Summer body ready? How about your summer skin and hair? Fearne knows you might be feeling the pressure to look a certain way – both right now, and across your lifetime – so she’s reflecting on Happy Place episodes that stick two fingers up to made up beauty standards and body ideals. You'll learn how to challenge all those social norms dictating how we should look, with some help from chair of the Body Dysmorphic Disorder Foundation, Rob Wilson, broadcaster Amanda De Cadanet, and activist Emma Dabiri. Plus, hear some deeply personal stories of how things like age, race, disability, and weight all intersect with self worth from Beverley Knight, Jono Lancaster, Adele Roberts, and Emily Ratajkowski. They talk about the moments they personally saw through the cultural crap and embraced their bodies for themselves …and you can too!Watch 'What Is How To' on YouTube Listen to Amanda De Cadanet’s episode Listen to Emma Dabiri’s episode Listen to Beverley Knight’s episode Listen to Jono Lancaster’s episode Listen to Adele Roberts’ episode Listen to Emily Ratajkowski’s episode Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jun 24, 2024 • 59min
Grace Beverley: Entrepreneurs, productivity, and gussets
Do you feel burnt out, but also like you’re not achieving enough? Entrepreneur Grace Beverley believes implementing clear boundaries can be the secret to success. In this chat with Fearne, Grace talks through the hard and fast lifestyle rules she sticks to in order to keep her mental health in check, and why self-care needs to be reframed as a valid form of productivity. And stick around to the end, because there are some proper productivity hacks for your daily to do list! Grace also explains the various routes for businesses to get funding... and why they’re so often not available to women (only 2% of venture capital funding goes to female founders in the UK!) They chat about why it’s so dire for society that we’re not investing in women. Getting angry, she says, can have a positive effect in galvanizing change, especially around gender and diversity. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jun 17, 2024 • 48min
Jon Bon Jovi: Legacies, excellence, and rock’n’roll clichés
Jon Bon Jovi, a legendary rock musician, shares his insights on living life without regrets and the true essence of leaving a legacy. He emphasizes that hard work triumphs over talent and reveals his journey of maintaining excellence after 40 years in the industry. Jon discusses the challenges of dealing with a bandmate's addictions while staying clear of rock'n'roll excesses. He also reflects on celebrating successes and contrasts American and British attitudes toward achievement, all while promoting his new album, Forever.

Jun 10, 2024 • 1h 5min
Paloma Faith: Outspoken women, fertility, and MILFs
Is the world ready for free women? Paloma Faith feels society grooms girls and women to make themselves smaller, to take up less space, and to dismiss their own needs... and she’s calling bullshit on it. In this chat Fearne and Paloma discuss the exhaustion that can come with being a nurturer – whether you’ve got children or not. They also talk about how over-achievers are often preoccupied with being seen as everything – smart, funny, caring, sexy, independent – and why it’s too much for one person to take on. How can we learn to ask for and accept help from others? Paloma opens up about why she chose to carry on working while miscarrying, and the pressure that miscarriage put on her relationship. Plus, why does Paloma really hate the expression “you’ve got this”? Paloma’s book – MILF: Motherhood, Identity, Love, and F*ckery – is published by Happy Place Books, and is out now.CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains frank chat about miscarriage, so do take care while listening. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jun 6, 2024 • 41min
An exclusive first glimpse at Fearne's novel: your questions answered
Fearne’s written a novel! It’s called Scripted, and it tells the story of Jade – a thirty-something who, out on a run, stumbles upon a script that seems to predict likely scenarios and relationship dynamics in her life. Having been given a sneak peek at her future, can Jade now speak up, and rewrite her own destiny? You’ve been DMing and voicenoting Fearne, asking her questions about the writing process, who inspired her characters, and whether she’s included her wealth of mental health knowledge in the novel... Plus, there’s an exclusive listen to the entire first chapter of the Scripted audiobook! Scripted is out now. The audiobook, read by Erin Doherty, and brought to you by Penguin is also available: https://adbl.co/3U7EP1P Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jun 3, 2024 • 56min
Ashley John-Baptiste: Rejection, aspirations, and a lack of hugs
How big do you let yourself dream? BBC broadcaster Ashley John-Baptise grew up in care, and knows all too well that love can help cultivate aspiration. In this chat with Fearne, Ashley talks through his childhood, from being bounced between foster parents and care homes, to ending up with a history degree from Cambridge University. He explains how he became a colder and more detached child as protection against constant rejection. Ashley also talks about the very real impact not having access to touch and attachment to a primary care giver can have on a person’s future outcomes. Fearne and Ashley chat about the huge influence kind and persistent adults can have over a child’s life. You don’t have to be a parent to positively impact a child; teaching, mentoring, and community work will make a huge difference to an individual, and as a result, society too... Ashley’s memoir, Looked After, is out on June 13th. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

May 27, 2024 • 1h 4min
Molly McCann: Therapy, combat sports, and menstrual cycles
Being deep in the middle of therapy can be draining. Ultimate Fighting Championship athlete Molly McCann has been working hard to understand her more toxic traits and behaviours, and her vulnerability has made her a stronger fighter. In this chat with Fearne, Molly talks about how she’s learnt not to fear failure, and how to overcome self-sabotage, as well as the very physical way her trauma has been released. She explains how she knew she wanted to break her family’s pattern of addiction too. Fearne and Molly also chat about the movement towards female athletes taking their menstrual cycle into consideration during training, and the fickleness of fandom – how we put people on a pedestal only to tear them down again. How can we learn to seek internal rather than external validation? Molly McCann returns to the Octagon for UFC® 304: Edwards vs Muhammad 2. Tickets for UFC® 304 go on sale at 10am BST on Friday, 7th June via Ticketmaster. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

May 20, 2024 • 55min
Patric Gagne: Sociopaths, compulsive behaviours, and theft
Patric Gagne, a sociopath, discusses the differences between psychopaths and sociopaths. They explore coping with lack of empathy, societal perceptions, and the benefits of not caring what others think. The conversation includes insights on relationships and communication about mental disorders, along with a spotlight on Patric's memoir 'Sociopath.'

May 17, 2024 • 26min
Ashleigh: PTSD, isolation, and self-acceptance
27-year-old Ashleigh opens up about her PTSD journey, including facial tics and a stammer, and how the Prince's Trust helped her start a mental health business. Fearne and Ashleigh discuss coping with misunderstandings, validation of pain, and the surprise ending of the episode.

May 15, 2024 • 29min
What’s REALLY going on in your mind?
How’s your mental health doing today? Do you ever wish people understood what was actually going on in your mind? As part of Mental Health Awareness Week, Fearne looks back at some of the conversations she’s had on Happy Place that shine a light on particular mental health conditions. There’s OCD with Tuppence Middleton, cyclothymia with Matt Edmondson, and psychosis with David Harewood. Plus, neuroscientist TJ Power chats about how to increase serotonin levels, and sleep physiologist Stephanie Romiszewski talks through how to combat insomnia. Hopefully you’ll find a moment’s solace from connecting over stories you might recognise if you have any of these mental health conditions yourself, and if you don’t... you may well know someone who does... CONTENT WARNING: as David recalls racist abuse, this episode contains offensive and distressing language. Watch Stephanie Romiszewski Listen to Tuppence Middleton Listen to Matt Edmondson Listen to David Harewood Listen to TJ Power Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.