Therapy Works

If you want to hear someone who is crazily famous and who is totally unchanged by her fame then you want to listen to this wonderfully open and honest conversation. It is tender, funny, warm and wise. Evanna Lynch is best known for her role as the quirky Luna Lovegood in Harry Potter, she is also a podcaster, a supporter of animal rights and an author. She is an incredibly interesting woman that I know many young people will relate to. Amongst the many interesting topics we explored were: Evanna’s relationship with fame – the unprecedented level of success she experienced, how she struggles to find a way to live with it and to still have a connected ‘normal’ life. How the depth of connection from having genuine deep conversations is far easier than small talk.  Her passion, which is infectious, to protect innocence – in all things, animals, children, the environment. How we can drive ourselves mad trying to find an attributable reason for our negative, self-harming behaviours when sometimes there just isn’t one.  How it is legitimate and normal to feel existential pain without needing to ‘do’ anything to fix it. It is also important to recognise that there can be times, that we need to address it, and the sooner we deal with it, the better the outcome.  The power of small trivial things like chocolate to give us little moments of joy that can see us through a dark day.  Support links: Beat: https://www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk/ Find Evanna: Evanna is currently starring in Under the Black Rock at Hackney's Arcola Theatre, head to the website to buy tickets here: https://www.arcolatheatre.com/whats-on/under-the-black-rock/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/evannalynch/?hl=enFind Julia: Website: https://juliasamuel.co.uk/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juliasamuelmbe/A big thank you to Drowsy for sponsoring this episode. If you're in need of the best night's sleep ever, then head to www.drowsysleepco.com and use the code JULIA for a very generous 25% off. A big thank you to Youth & Earth for sponsoring this episode. Head to www.youthandearth.com now and take advantage of a very generous 25% off when using the code JULIA25 on your first order. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/therapy works and get on your way to being your best self.Produced by Georgie RutherfordHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

My first conversation with Geraint John on this podcast had a big impact on you all. You were moved by his honesty and the psychological difficulty he faced for himself and his whole family when his beautiful wife Debs was terminally ill. This conversation is as heartrending, letting you know how he, Debs and his family have navigated her devastating loss. This is a powerfully emotional episode which will help you understand yourself as a griever and the grief of others. You will see again, that grief is by no means tidy - it’s messy, chaotic but can also be profoundly beautiful. In this episode we discussed: The complexity of talking about dying with the person who is dying and the tricky navigation of wanting to be protective and yet truthful. There is no easy way to bear the pain of witnessing the death of a partner and parent, it is hellish, and yet it’s important to have no regrets. The importance of the funeral which was both a performance and an intimate act of love.  How to find a way of having birthdays and ordinary days when your whole life and the life of your children is irreversibly changed.  Wanting a house full of love for the whole family, where the perception of what matters is forever changed, on the whole for the good.  Bring your hankies, cups of tea and hugs of others for afterwards. Julia’s Website: https://juliasamuel.co.uk/Julia’s Instagram: @juliasamuelmbeGrief Works app: https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/grief-works-self-care-love/id1558867513Important links: If you are in need of bereavement support please visit Cruse: https://www.cruse.org.uk/Please visit Child Bereavement UK if your children are in need of support: https://www.childbereavementuk.orA big thank you to Drowsy for sponsoring this episode. If you're in need of the best night's sleep ever, then head to www.drowsysleepco.com and use the code JULIA for a very generous 25% off. A big thank you to Youth & Earth for sponsoring this episode. Head to www.youthandearth.com now and take advantage of a very generous 25% off when using the code JULIA25 on your first order. ---Produced by Georgie RutherfordHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Susannah Constantine is a former TV fashion guru (one half of the eponymous What Not To Wear duo), TV presenter and author. This conversation is full of therapeutic light bulb moments where Susannah begins to see something familiar in a new way. As you also might expect like anything with Susannah, it’s also full of laughter, wisdom and humanity. Topics we discuss include: What we inherit from our parents. The difficulty of ‘putting on a show’ and how it blocks you from truly knowing yourself. How fear can hide behind a bravado and that sometimes the fear needs to be anaesthetised because it isn’t faced.  The journey to recovery from alcoholism. The harm that lies do to us personally and how they start to create disconnection with others.  The challenge of talking honestly to our children, wanting to both protect them from ‘our own stuff’ and also protect ourselves from their judgement – but it only builds up the walls between us.  Important links:Susannah’s new book: https://amzn.eu/d/6TVR51Y Website: https://susannahconstantine.co.uk/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/susannahconstantine/?hl=en Support links: Alcoholics Anonymous: https://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk/ Find Julia: Website: https://juliasamuel.co.uk/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juliasamuelmbe/A big thank you to Drowsy for sponsoring this episode. If you're in need of the best night's sleep ever, then head to www.drowsysleepco.com and use the code JULIA for a very generous 25% off. A big thank you to Youth & Earth for sponsoring this episode. Head to www.youthandearth.com now and take advantage of a very generous 25% off when using the code JULIA25 on your first order. Produced by Georgie RutherfordHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Andrew G. Marshall is a well known marital therapist and I sat down with him to discuss the grief he felt following his father’s death. His understandings are rooted in his decades as a therapist and have a particular clarity I think many of you will find helpful.In this episode, we discuss: How the death of a parent in old age is still a big psychological event and brings up many related losses which are often unrecognised.  The power of the unconscious, how we can limit who we are and how we are in the world when we only focus on our conscious lives.  For those with parents who are still alive, this episode is a timely reminder to have those important conversations before they die - don’t pretend they are immortal.  Be patient with friends and family - allow time, space, commit, endure and try again if they are resistant.  The power that rituals hold and how they can help us to move through the pain. Finally how, despite our fear, when we walk towards our pain that is when we can heal. It takes courage, but fear is exhausting and pervasive and this is a route to releasing yourself from it.  I won’t spoil the drama in this episode but suffice to say there are some big surprises - to do with wolves, rituals and tattoos…! Support links: Grief Works app: https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/grief-works-self-care-love/id1558867513Grief Works book: https://juliasamuel.co.uk/books/grief-worksFeel The Fear and Do it Anyway book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Feel-Fear-Anyway-Indecision-Confidence/dp/0091907071Find Andrew G. Marshall:Website: https://andrewgmarshall.com/Podcast: https://andrewgmarshall.com/podcasts/Find Julia: Website: https://juliasamuel.co.uk/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juliasamuelmbe/A big thank you to Youth & Earth for sponsoring this episode. Head to www.youthandearth.com now and take advantage of a very generous 25% off when using the code JULIA25 on your first order. Produced by Georgie RutherfordHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

*Trigger warning - includes references to racial abuse that some listeners might find distressing*This is a fast moving energetic conversation which will at times stop you in your tracks. Trisha Goddard is an extraordinarily successful actress and television presenter. In this deep and emotionally revealing interview, Trisha takes us on a ride with courage and honesty. You will discover how she overcame enormous adversity and how she has finally found love and happiness at the age of 65 years old. There is so much you will relate to. We discuss: How an intelligent woman who has tremendous insight and instinct professionally can be blind to red flags in her personal relationships due to early attachment issues.  The racist abuse she experienced, which is both internalised and normalised in much of her life.  How the political and social movement, Black Lives Matter, transformed Trisha’s own understanding of racism. How formative her schooling was. Education, reading books, and a couple of excellent teachers was her salvation.  The emotional cost of the breakdown of her 20 year marriage. How her relationship with her two daughters after years of complexity evolved to be one of healing and closeness. They discovered the power of honesty, that the truth, as hard as it is, is curative.  And finally the heart-warming story of how she found love and her list of 20 questions she asked him before she agreed to date him. What would your 20 questions be? Important links: Ten critical questions before embarking on a relationship: https://www.exeter.ac.uk/news/research/title_672700_en.htmlTherapist Uncensored Podcast referred to by Sophie in episode; https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/therapist-uncensored-podcast/id1146941306?i=1000593377798 Explanation of Dialectical behaviour therapy: https://www.verywellmind.com/dialectical-behavior-therapy-1067402 Black Lives Matter UK: https://blacklivesmatter.uk/Find Trisha: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therealtrishagoddard/?hl=enFind Julia: Website: https://juliasamuel.co.uk/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juliasamuelmbe/A big thank you to Youth & Earth for sponsoring this episode. Head to www.youthandearth.com now and take advantage of a very generous 25% off when using the code JULIA25 on your first order. Produced by Georgie RutherfordEdited by Nick KingswellHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This is an episode you need to listen to if you want to understand the experience of suffering mental illness. Yvette, as one of our unheard voices describes with stigma blowing clarity what it is like to live with mental illness. She suffers from bipolar disorder, depression and binge eating. The first thing you will realise is that suffering from a mental illness is very different from having difficult feelings. It is a serious, life changing and often misunderstood condition that can be managed but takes a huge effort to do so. In this conversation, we touch on:  The mood swings of bipolar disorder, how seriously unwell it can lead someone to be and the scary nature of a manic episode. The way bipolar and binge eating influence each other. Yvette goes into detail about eating all her strong feelings - and how she expresses her anger.  On how depression ‘tells you lies’. If you have suffered depression, or are close to someone with depression you will find Yvette’s description of depression illuminating.  How being a young person entering a mental health unit can be thought of as shameful but how Yvette felt there was a fellowship and it was an important space outside of home that was curative.  How ’suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem’. This is truly something to hold onto and we should use to influence ourselves and the other. Her story gives us all hope when life gets terrifyingly dark. Finally how choirs should be an NHS prescription and how curative singing can be to lift spirits and connect with others. Yvette’s wisdom from facing such huge challenges comes from a deep knowing. She acknowledges that you don’t have to fix everything at once but just focus on one day at time. If you are suffering from similar feelings, just remember feelings are not permanent and you won’t feel like this forever. Support links: BEAT: https://www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk/MIND: https://www.mind.org.uk/Rethink Mental Illness: https://www.rethink.org/Bipolar UK: https://www.bipolaruk.org/Find Julia: Website: https://juliasamuel.co.uk/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juliasamuelmbe/This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/therapy works and get on your way to being your best self.A big thank you to Youth & Earth for sponsoring this episode. Head to www.youthandearth.com now and take advantage of a very generous 25% off when using the code JULIA25 on your first order. Produced by Georgie RutherfordEdited by Nick KingswellHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There is so much to tell you about this fantastic conversation with Bryony Gordon. You will love it. I was gripped by her. She is a headlining journalist, with a column and features with notable public figures. She has written many brilliant books charting her life and in the process showing us what it is to be diagnosed with OCD, depression and addiction. We discussed a feast of topics including: The pressure of expectations. We are expected to live happily ever after, and that in itself can set us up for failure. We looked at an alternative view of expectations during our conversation.  The irony that successful people are often troubled, and how the push to succeed often means shrinking one’s true self. (I warned you we got deep!) We discussed how our childhood’s shape us, but that is not the end of the story, and nor is blaming. With the right tools and attitude we really can change our response to our childhood and vitally the way we parent.  How hard it is to feel like you belong, how vital it is and how we can find our tribe in unexpected places.  The madness of trying to have control, and the peace that surrender brings in so many aspects of life, addiction being one. The idea of perseverance is powerful. You fall, you get up you go again. It is in effect the definition of resilience, and acknowledges that piece we often forget, we all fall but it's the getting up and going again that’s difficult and vital.  And finally how baffling life is but we can find strength in knowing ourselves, and having the courage to turn to ourselves with kindness.  There are so many layers to this conversation and I’m sure everyone will take away something valuable from this conversation. I’d love to hear your thoughts so please message me on instagram @juliasamuel or email therapyworkspodcast@gmail.com. Support links: OCD Action: https://ocdaction.org.uk/Mental Health Mates: https://www.mentalhealthmates.co.uk/Heads Together: https://www.headstogether.org.uk/Beat: https://www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk/Find Bryony:Column: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/b/bp-bt/bryony-gordon/Books: https://www.waterstones.com/author/bryony-gordon/55496Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bryonygordon/?hl=en Find Julia: Website: https://juliasamuel.co.uk/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juliasamuelmbe/Produced by Georgie RutherfordEdited by Nick KingswellHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this profoundly moving episode, Suzanne opens up about all the challenges that surrounded her mother’s death during Covid-19. Covid was an incredibly difficult time for all of us but the greatest challenge had to be the heightened complexity of a Covid death. Many of you will resonate with Suzanne’s moving story and the psychological difficulties the Covid restrictions imposed on all of us.In this episode, we discuss:  The heightened complexity of a Covid death and the mental toll caused by the restrictions. How we grieve for the future as well as the past. When anger contaminates all your feelings, you should turn to a 4 step tool to help you release it. Why it’s never too late to have rituals when someone has died - nor is it ever too late to mourn. Grief is held in the body and often feels like fear.  While we internally acknowledge that we are mortal, we never acknowledge that we will all be bereaved at some point in our lives. Support links: Cruse Bereavement Support: https://www.cruse.org.uk/Grief Works App: https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/grief-works-self-care-love/id1558867513Grief Works Book: https://juliasamuel.co.uk/books/grief-worksFind Julia: Website: https://juliasamuel.co.uk/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juliasamuelmbe/Produced by Georgie RutherfordEdited by Nick KingswellHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dr. Rangan Chatterjee is a medical doctor who has translated his learnings from decades of experience as a GP into 5 best-selling books and his No 1 Health podcast Live Better Live More. I am a huge fan of Rangan and was lucky enough to be a guest on his podcast and can now call him a much-respected friend. This wonderful conversation takes us into the personal process of Rangan the man whose biggest achievement is his unique journey which has now led him to pursue a more joyful and vibrant life. You will find many ideas and concepts in this conversation that will expand your awareness of how you engage with your life, and with it, the possibility of positive change.In this conversation, we discussed:  The burden and intensity of being a carer in the family How authenticity and the intention with which we respond to events – by duty or genuine choice - has a huge impact on our emotional cost.  How a desire to be the best can influence us and how being the child of immigrants who experienced racism informs our response and the need to perform.  The radical concept of conflict as an opportunity to grow; to explore what is really going on and learn more about oneself. The foundation of which is trusting that we are innately enough.  What triggers us as humans and how we react in the moment. Why do we take offence or choose not to take offence? Support links:Carers UK: https://www.carersuk.org/MIND UK: https://www.mind.org.uk/Find more information on Dr Rangan Chatterjee:Website: https://drchatterjee.com/Podcast: https://drchatterjee.com/blog/category/podcast/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drchatterjee/Find Julia: Website: https://juliasamuel.co.uk/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juliasamuelmbe/This episode is sponsored by by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/therapy works and get on your way to being your best self.Produced by Georgie RutherfordEdited by Nick KingswellHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In today’s special reflection episode, we discuss our experience of working together as family and as therapists. As in all things therapeutic it is important to reflect on what we’ve done - good and bad so we can continue to learn and grow for the next season. We discuss: The importance of stories and having a narrative in therapy.  Why like therapy, it is a mutual benefit because we’ve gained and learned a lot from our guests.  How we’ve been so blown away by our guests who have allowed us to have these private even intimate and therapeutic conversations in public.  We explored the concept of self compassion as a resource to turn to when we are suffering as opposed self criticism which came through every episode. As Emily said ‘Don’t beat on yourself when life is beating you.’  How much we value the relationship with our listeners and how thrilled we are that you are building a relationship with us.  We are so grateful to you for listening and hope you will all join us for season 2 launching in January! Produced by Georgie RutherfordEdited by Nick Kingswell Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices