

Ed Stott & The Big Life Questions
Edwina Stott
One big question at a time. Explored, untangled, and (possibly) solved.
Self-improvement is everywhere but most of it’s overly simplistic, shouty, and backed by vibes, not evidence.
I’m Ed Stott, former BBC & ABC journalist turned independent audio doco maker, obsessed with figuring out how to live better. (That obsession once led to 50 stand-up gigs in 6 months… but more on that later.)
Each month, I tackle one big, messy life question like “What’s my purpose?” or “Should I quit my job?” and get real answers from the world’s sharpest minds.
No fluff. Just big ideas, explored creatively, to help you make sense of your life.
Self-improvement is everywhere but most of it’s overly simplistic, shouty, and backed by vibes, not evidence.
I’m Ed Stott, former BBC & ABC journalist turned independent audio doco maker, obsessed with figuring out how to live better. (That obsession once led to 50 stand-up gigs in 6 months… but more on that later.)
Each month, I tackle one big, messy life question like “What’s my purpose?” or “Should I quit my job?” and get real answers from the world’s sharpest minds.
No fluff. Just big ideas, explored creatively, to help you make sense of your life.
Episodes
Mentioned books

14 snips
Sep 28, 2022 • 42min
Become a Friend-Making Machine
Friendships are super important, not just for our mental health, but for our physical health. So how do we go about making new friends when we have no idea where to start? Dr Melanie Mills is a friendship expert & the Author of ‘The Friendship Bond’. CONNECT WITH USConnect with That's Helpful & Ed Stott on Instagram Connect with Dr Mel on Instagram & Facebook BOOKSDr Mel's Life Bonds Series PODCASTSubscribe to The Life Bond Podcast Got an episode suggestion or feedback for me? Email me - ed@edwinastott.com

Sep 21, 2022 • 46min
How to Kick Your Screen Addiction
Addiction is a scary word, but it’s likely we’ll have all come across it in some form or another throughout our lives. David Gillespie is the author of Brain Reset and he says that we’re more addicted than ever before and it’s having a devastating impact on our mental health. The good news is that there is a solution and that’s the focus of David’s latest book. In this conversation we chat through how addiction works, how your smartphone is designed to hack your mind and how to break the cycle. If addiction is a problem for you or anyone you know you can call Lifeline on 13 11 14 anytime for support. CONNECT WITH USConnect with That's Helpful & Ed Stott on Instagram Connect with David on Twitter, Instagram & Facebook BOOKBrain Reset PODCAST How to Spot a Psychopath with David Gillespie

Sep 14, 2022 • 1h 33min
Become a More Confident Feminist with Clementine Ford
Clementine Ford is a feminist, author & host of the Dear Clementine podcast. In this episode, we talk about: - How patriarchy works - The ways in which patriarchy pits women against each other - The joys of feminism - When to step in on misogynistic conversations - Steps you can take to better support feminism Enjoy! CONNECT WITH USConnect with That's Helpful & Ed Stott on Instagram Connect with Clementine on Instagram & Facebook CHARITIES TO SUPPORTDjirra Safe Steps BOOKSClementine's BooksWhite Feminism, Koa Beck So You Want To Talk About Race, Ijeoma Oluo Princesses & Pornstars, Emily Maguire Anything by Bell Hooks PODCASTSubscribe to Dear Clementine

Sep 8, 2022 • 34min
Unf*ck Your Finances
Understanding our finances is an essential skill, but most of us don’t have it. Mel Browne is an entrepreneur, financial expert and the author of Unf*ck Your Finances. She's also on a mission to increase your financial literacy & confidence. In this episode we talk about why budgets don't work, what does, the best ways to save, to tackle debt and why YOU need to be in control of YOUR finances. CONNECT WITH USConnect with That's Helpful & Ed Stott on Instagram Connect with Melanie Browne on Instagram RESOURCESThat's Helpful Resources from Mel Browne

Aug 31, 2022 • 42min
Learn to Love Living Anywhere
What if I told you that you’d never have to move again? Most of us will move 10 times during our lifetime and it’s often one of the most stressful things we’ll ever do. But you can absolutely learn to love where you live and build a strong attachment to your town or city no matter where it is. Melody Warnick is the author of This Is Where You Belong and If You Could Live Anywhere, she's discovered the secrets of making anywhere feel like home. She’s also got an amazing framework for you if you’re one of those people who can now work from anywhere on finding where you’re meant to be. CONNECT WITH USConnect with That's Helpful & Ed Stott on Instagram Connect with Melody Warnick through her website, on Instagram, & on Facebook BOOKSThis is Where You Belong & If You Could Live Anywhere

Aug 24, 2022 • 33min
Taming your inner-critic & self care for busy people
This week - you’re in for a real treat. Two interviews in one magnificent episode! Behavioural and emotional expert, Maureen Fearon will introduce you to Neuro Linguistic Programming - a tool that could help you to control your inner critic. Plus - how many times have you told yourself ‘I’ll just get through this week and everything will calm down’? Suzanne Falter says it’s time to stop. She’s a podcaster, speaker and the author of The Extremely Busy Woman’s Guide to Self Care. CONNECT WITH USConnect with That's Helpful & Ed Stott on Instagram Connect with Suzanne Falter through her website, on Instagram, & on Facebook Connect with Maureen Fearon through her website BOOKSThe Extremely Busy Women's Guide To Self Care by Suzanne Falter Shoo: The Destructive Demon Within by Maureen Fearon OTHERJoin Suzanne's Facebook group; The Self Care Group for Extremely Busy Women

Aug 17, 2022 • 40min
How to pull a career 180
Sick of your job and ready to do something completely different? We spend ⅓ of our lives at work and the majority of us don’t like what we do. The world of work has completely changed thanks to the internet and we’re more empowered than ever before to do work that makes us happy. But with so much choice comes great confusion and it can be really tricky to figure out what you want to do let alone how you should go about doing it. Monique Ross is the co-author of ‘This Working Life - How to navigate your career in uncertain times’ and she quit her job as an Editor for ABC news to become a Forest Therapy Guide. In this episode she shares everything she's learnt along the way as well as a few tips for figuring out what you should be doing and how to get started. CONNECT WITH USConnect with That's Helpful & Ed Stott on Instagram Connect with Monique at Heartwood Nature Bathing on Instagram & Facebook or her website BOOKS- This Working Life - How to navigate your career in uncertain times - The Middle Finger Project (Ed's recommendation)

Aug 10, 2022 • 42min
How to spot a psychopath
5-10% of people are psychopaths - so how do you identify them & how should you deal with them? David Gillespie is the author of Taming Toxic People: The Science of Identifying and Dealing With Psychopaths At Work and At Home. David was inspired to write the book by his previous career as a corporate lawyer that saw him cross paths with so many people who he suspected could be psychopaths. He couldn't find any good information on how to identify & deal with them so he decided to do his own research. In this episode, he talks us through the signs of a psychopath and reveals how we should deal with them both in the workplace & in our personal lives. CONNECT WITH USConnect with That's Helpful & Ed Stott on Instagram Connect with David on Twitter, Instagram & Facebook

Aug 3, 2022 • 38min
Injectables 101
Anti-wrinkle injections & fillers aren't for everyone, but for some they are absolutely life changing. It can be so hard to get good impartial information when you’re thinking about getting something done though. Enter - Rachael Hornbuckle, she’s a cosmetic injector with over 8 years experience as a Registered Nurse in Cosmetic Dermatology. She’s incredible at what she does. In this conversation, Rachael covers everything from how to find a good injector, what’s fixable, the risks, what to do if something goes wrong, plus a bunch of other useful things. CONNECT WITH USConnect with That's Helpful & Ed Stott on Instagram Connect with Rachael on Instagram

Jul 27, 2022 • 35min
Supercharge your motivation
This week it’s all about getting motivated. Professor Ayelet Fishbach is an expert on motivation and decision making, she’s the author of Get It Done: Surprising Lessons from the science of Motivation and is a past president of the Society for the Science of Motivation. She explains how you can create better goals, increase your motivation and achieve more. CONNECT WITH USConnect with That's Helpful & Ed Stott on Instagram Connect with Ayelet on Instagram & Twitter LINKS Check out Ayelet's website Find Ayelet's book Get It Done: Surprising Lessons From The Science of Motivation here