Whether you’ve got a family event, party, christmas gathering or even a date coming up, the fear of the conversation drying up & having no way out is VERY real. So how do we nail mingling & turn it into a core skill rather than something that brings us out in a cold sweat? Fear not - I’ve called in the professionals for this one. Jeanne Martinet is an expert in it - in fact so many people asked her for her advice that she wrote a book about it & she’s now the author of The Art of Mingling alongside a whole host of other books. CONNECT WITH US Connect with That's Helpful & Ed Stott on Instagram. Find Jeanne on Instagram & via her website. BOOKSThe Art of Mingling Mingling with the Enemy: A Social Survival Guide for Our Politically Divided Times Want to become a podcast sponsor, got some feedback for me or just fancy a chat? Email me - edwina@edstott.com

I don’t know about you, but it feels like there’s a direct correlation between how much closer we get to the end of the year & how much time I spend procrastinating… But there's plenty of valuable time left to make the most of, so how can we get on top of our procrastination & maximise what’s left of the year? Dr Fuschia Sirois is a professor of psychology at the University of Durham and she’s spent more than 20 years researching the causes & consequences of procrastination & how we can stop doing it! CONNECT WITH US Connect with That's Helpful & Ed Stott on Instagram. Find Fuschia on Twitter & via her website. BOOKSProcrastination: What It Is, Why It's A Problem & What You Can Do About It Want to become a podcast sponsor, got some feedback for me or just fancy a chat? Email me - edwina@edstott.com

Everyday you are bombarded with more information than your brain can even comprehend - there is nowhere that is safe from people & organisations trying to influence what you do. So how can we protect ourselves from this new world of manipulation & make the choices that are right for us, free from influence? Patrick Fagan is a behavioural psychologist & the co-author of Free Your Mind: The New World of Manipulation & How To Resist It. CONNECT WITH US Connect with That's Helpful & Ed Stott on Instagram. Find Patrick on Twitter & via his website. BOOKSFree Your Mind: The New World of Manipulation & How to Resist It Want to become a podcast sponsor, got some feedback for me or just fancy a chat? Email me - edwina@edstott.com

We’ve all experienced it - you’re at work & everything’s fine then a new person enters the team... They’re great at first, but a couple of weeks pass & things start to change. You have no idea where you stand with them, the once happy team is now in disarray & a job that you once enjoyed now feels like you’ve wandered into a minefield. If this feels familiar, that person may just be displaying psychopathic traits that make them incredibly hard to deal with. So how can we spot a psychopath at work & when we do, how do we deal with them? David Gillespie is a lawyer & the author of Toxic at work: surviving your psychopathic workmates- from the dominant bullies to the charming manipulators. CONNECT WITH US Connect with That's Helpful & Ed Stott on Instagram. Find David on Instagram & via their website. OTHER PODCAST EPISODESHow to Spot a Psychopath BOOKSToxic At Work Taming Toxic People Want to become a podcast sponsor, got some feedback for me or just fancy a chat? Email me - edwina@edstott.com

Donna McGeorge, productivity expert, discusses using ChatGPT for mundane tasks at home and work. Topics include AI assistance for writing, meal planning, and innovative applications like simulating job interviews. Learn tips for maximizing ChatGPT's productivity benefits.

There is a lot going on in the world right now & it can feel overwhelming to figure out how you personally can make a difference. But when it comes to the environment, there are so many wonderful habits that take less than 60 seconds which can enhance your life, help the environment & nurture your community. They’re all teeny bits of a wonderful thing called Permaculture. Today I’m going to teach you a few that you can implement today & start reaping the benefits with the help of Kirsten Bradley. She's the author of The Milkwood Permaculture Living Handbook. CONNECT WITH US Connect with That's Helpful & Ed Stott on Instagram. Find Kirsten & Milkwood on Instagram & via their website. BOOKSThe Milkwood Permaculture Living Handbook Clean & Green: 101 Hints & Tips For a More Eco-friendly Home Want some sourdough starter, to become a podcast sponsor or just fancy a chat? Email me - edwina@edstott.com

I know you’re all big podcast fans because you’re here, but what about music? You probably love a great gym playlist or a bit of classical music while you're working, but have you ever thought about the true power of music & how you can tailor your playlists to boost your well-being? Dr Amanda Krause is a Lecturer in psychology at James Cook University and an expert in how we experience music psychologically in our everyday lives & her current research looks into how music can make us healthier. Amanda shares how music boosts our health & how to maximise those benefits. If you're a super duper music lover, you're going to love this episode with musician Libby O'Donovan too on why you should absolutely be joining a choir (even if you think you can't sing!). CONNECT WITH US Connect with That's Helpful & Ed Stott on Instagram. Find Amanda on Twitter & via her website. Got some feedback, want to become a podcast sponsor or just fancy a chat? Email me - edwina@edstott.com    

So often our focus is on HOW we make money, but not necessarily how we manage it. If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably whacked it all in a bank account & hoped for the best. BUT there are some simple things we can all do, starting today that will make a huge difference to how you approach your finances & whether or not you’re making them work for YOU. Today, we’re going to work through a few of those simple things with Ben Nash, he’s a Money Coach, the Author of Get Unstuck & Founder of Pivot Wealth. ***Please note, this podcast is not financial advice - everyone's circumstances are different so make sure you consider whether the advice is appropriate to you & seek professional advice where appropriate!*** CONNECT WITH US Connect with That's Helpful & Ed Stott on Instagram. Find Ben on Instagram & via his website. Got some feedback, want to become a podcast sponsor or just fancy a chat? Email me - edwina@edstott.com

 Today, I’m very excited to say that the very clever Kasey Edwards is back on the podcast! She joined us a few weeks ago to talk about her book Raising Girls Who Like Themselves & I was absolutely blown away by your feedback here and on social media - Kasey has some fabulous insights from her research into this area over the last 10 years. Today, though we’re talking boys - because patriarchy is bad for everyone… Kasey’s latest book, which she wrote with her husband Dr Christopher Scanlan, is called Bringing Up Boys Who Like Themselves. In this episode, she shares the 7 non-negotiables. Find the previous episode with Kasey on raising girls who like themselves here. EXTRA INFOFind the emotions wheel Kasey spoke about here. CONNECT WITH US Connect with That's Helpful & Ed Stott on Instagram. Find Kasey on Instagram & via her website. Would you like to sponsor the podcast? Email me - edwina@edstott.com

So many of us are so careful with how we talk the others, but we don’t take the same care when we’re talking to ourselves. Science has shown that negative self-talk doesn’t make us more successful & can do damage to our mental health. So how can we tackle our inner critic & turn it in to our friend instead of the person who’s telling us the things we’d never dream of saying to others? Well here with the answer to that is Dr Rachel Turow, she’s a psychologist & the Author of The Self-Talk Workout. She explains why we feel so obliged to berate ourselves, even though it isn't helpful & gives us 3 simple strategies to start turning our inner critic into our inner bestie. FYI: If you love this ep, you're going to really like this one with Ash Ambirge, Author of The Middle Finger Project on trashing imposter syndrome! Your head is going to be THE BEST place to be once I've finished with you. :) CONNECT WITH US Connect with That's Helpful & Ed Stott on Instagram. Find Rachel via her website. BOOKThe Self-Talk Workout Would you like to sponsor the podcast? Email me for opportunities! - edwina@edstott.com