Danny McNamara

Welcome to episode 143 with Danny McNamara, who is a songwriter and the singer in Embrace. Embrace released their debut album ‘The Good Will Out’ in 1996 and have gone on to release a total of 8 albums, all of which have charted in the top 10. Danny experienced mental health challenges as a teenager, at one point having 15 panic attacks a day.  He would eventually be diagnosed with PTSD and later with Pure O OCD. In this episode I chat to Danny about the early days of the band and his memories of recording their seminal debut album. We talk about how PTSD entered his life after a traumatic event and the impact that had on his life and we chat about how he eventually recovered. We also chat about the importance of talking, the benefits of therapy, being in a band and we chat about how getting married and having kids finally brought Danny some peace. This was a special one for me!  I’ve been a fan of this band since day one, the debut was the 3rd record I ever bought, and I’ve seen them live many times! Danny speaks wonderfully about his experiences and it was an absolute pleasure to spend some time with him! Everything you need to know about Embrace can be found at www.embrace.co.uk Follow them on all platforms @embrace You can support Proper Mental by signing up to the Patreon community!  It’s £5 a month for early access to episodes as soon as the recording is finished, a monthly Zoom hangout and loads of other behind the scenes updates. Sign up here: Proper Mental Podcast | Normalising open and honest conversations about mental health! | Patreon You can connect with me on social media @propermentalpodcast or via www.propermentalpodcast.com. Another great way to support the show and spread the word is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from. If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk Thanks for listening!

Welcome to episode 143 with Danny McNamara, who is a songwriter and the singer in Embrace. Embrace released their debut album ‘The Good Will Out’ in 1996 and have gone on to release a total of 8 albums, all of which have charted in the top 10. Danny experienced mental health challenges as a teenager, at one point having 15 panic attacks a day.  He would eventually be diagnosed with PTSD and later with Pure O OCD. In this episode I chat to Danny about the early days of the band and his memories of recording their seminal debut album. We talk about how PTSD entered his life after a traumatic event and the impact that had on his life and we chat about how he eventually recovered. We also chat about the importance of talking, the benefits of therapy, being in a band and we chat about how getting married and having kids finally brought Danny some peace. This was a special one for me!  I’ve been a fan of this band since day one, the debut was the 3rd record I ever bought, and I’ve seen them live many times! Danny speaks wonderfully about his experiences and it was an absolute pleasure to spend some time with him! Everything you need to know about Embrace can be found at <a href="http://www.embrace.co.uk" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.embrace.co.uk</a> Follow them on all platforms @embrace You can support Proper Mental by signing up to the Patreon community!  It’s £5 a month for early access to episodes as soon as the recording is finished, a monthly Zoom hangout and loads of other behind the scenes updates. Sign up here: <a href="https://www.patreon.com/ProperMentalPodcast" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Proper Mental Podcast | Normalising open and honest conversations about mental health! | Patreon</a> You can connect with me on social media @propermentalpodcast or via <a href="http://www.propermentalpodcast.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.propermentalpodcast.com</a>. Another great way to support the show and spread the word is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from. If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to <a href="http://www.hubofhope.co.uk" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.hubofhope.co.uk</a> Thanks for listening!

Cara Lisette

Welcome to episode 142 with Cara Lisette, who is a mental health writer and campaigner, a registered mental health nurse and CBT therapist. In this episode I chat to Cara about her work in mental health services and some of the reasons why she got in to nursing and trained to be a therapist. Cara has many years of experience of living with an eating disorder and bipolar disorder and in this episode Cara and I chat about some of the ways that these diagnosis impact each other and how she manages both of them day to day. We chat about her experiences of mental ill health during childhood and the differences between child and adult services and we also chat about relapse, recovery and the bits in between. Cara is the author of creative activity journals for eating disorders, bipolar and OCD which were inspired by some of the creative tools that she used as part of her own recovery and we also chat about creativity and the role it plays in good mental health. I really enjoyed chatting to Cara and we cover a lot here.  Her experiences of mental health services on both sides and at different stages of her life have given her an incredible insight which was fascinating to explore. You can find out more about Cara’s books and ll the other work that she does via her website https://caras-corner.com. You can follow her on social media @caralisette You can support Proper Mental by signing up to the Patreon community!  It’s £5 a month for early access to episodes as soon as the recording is finished, a monthly Zoom hangout and loads of other behind the scenes updates. Sign up here: Proper Mental Podcast | Normalising open and honest conversations about mental health! | Patreon You can connect with me on social media @propermentalpodcast or via www.propermentalpodcast.com. A great way to support the show and spread the word is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from. If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk Thanks for listening!

Welcome to episode 142 with Cara Lisette, who is a mental health writer and campaigner, a registered mental health nurse and CBT therapist. In this episode I chat to Cara about her work in mental health services and some of the reasons why she got in to nursing and trained to be a therapist. Cara has many years of experience of living with an eating disorder and bipolar disorder and in this episode Cara and I chat about some of the ways that these diagnosis impact each other and how she manages both of them day to day. We chat about her experiences of mental ill health during childhood and the differences between child and adult services and we also chat about relapse, recovery and the bits in between. Cara is the author of creative activity journals for eating disorders, bipolar and OCD which were inspired by some of the creative tools that she used as part of her own recovery and we also chat about creativity and the role it plays in good mental health. I really enjoyed chatting to Cara and we cover a lot here.  Her experiences of mental health services on both sides and at different stages of her life have given her an incredible insight which was fascinating to explore. You can find out more about Cara’s books and ll the other work that she does via her website <a href="https://caras-corner.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://caras-corner.com</a>. You can follow her on social media @caralisette You can support Proper Mental by signing up to the Patreon community!  It’s £5 a month for early access to episodes as soon as the recording is finished, a monthly Zoom hangout and loads of other behind the scenes updates. Sign up here: <a href="https://www.patreon.com/ProperMentalPodcast" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Proper Mental Podcast | Normalising open and honest conversations about mental health! | Patreon</a> You can connect with me on social media @propermentalpodcast or via <a href="http://www.propermentalpodcast.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.propermentalpodcast.com</a>. A great way to support the show and spread the word is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from. If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to <a href="http://www.hubofhope.co.uk" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.hubofhope.co.uk</a> Thanks for listening!

Xani Byrne

Welcome to episode 141 with Xani Byrne, who is currently riding a tandem around the coastline of the UK, covering 3500 miles to raise awareness of suicide and mental health and to raise money for to incredible support charities. The idea for his expedition came after losing his sister to suicide in 2022.  They had always planned to ride a tandem together but never got the chance and now Xani is offering up the back seat of his bike to a different person on each leg of the journey, all of whom have been affected by suicide in some way. I caught up with him on a rare rest day when he was about 2/3’s of the way through this 88 day challenge which will finish in Edinburgh towards the end of August. In this episode I chat to Xani about the story behind his cycle, the logistics involved and how he actually quit his job to make this happen. We chat about some of the obstacles and challenges he’s come across during the journey so far and he shares some of the incredible stories on behalf of the people who have joined him along the way. I heard about Xani and his tandem after he passed through where I live and it was such a pleasure to be able to chat to him about this incredible bike ride and the story behind it, especially as he is still in the saddle at the time of recording!  He’s a great guy and he’s doing something really special. Xani’s Just Giving page can be found here: Tandem Against Suicide UK fundraising on JustGiving You can follow him on social media @tandemagainstsuicide There is more info about his chosen charities here: Papyrus UK Suicide Prevention | Prevention of Young Suicide (papyrus-uk.org) Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide – Overcoming the isolation of people bereaved by suicide (uksobs.org) You can connect with me on social media @propermentalpodcast or via www.propermentalpodcast.com. A great way to support the show and spread the word is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from. If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk Thanks for listening!

Welcome to episode 141 with Xani Byrne, who is currently riding a tandem around the coastline of the UK, covering 3500 miles to raise awareness of suicide and mental health and to raise money for to incredible support charities. The idea for his expedition came after losing his sister to suicide in 2022.  They had always planned to ride a tandem together but never got the chance and now Xani is offering up the back seat of his bike to a different person on each leg of the journey, all of whom have been affected by suicide in some way. I caught up with him on a rare rest day when he was about 2/3’s of the way through this 88 day challenge which will finish in Edinburgh towards the end of August. In this episode I chat to Xani about the story behind his cycle, the logistics involved and how he actually quit his job to make this happen. We chat about some of the obstacles and challenges he’s come across during the journey so far and he shares some of the incredible stories on behalf of the people who have joined him along the way. I heard about Xani and his tandem after he passed through where I live and it was such a pleasure to be able to chat to him about this incredible bike ride and the story behind it, especially as he is still in the saddle at the time of recording!  He’s a great guy and he’s doing something really special. Xani’s Just Giving page can be found here: <a href="https://www.justgiving.com/team/tandemagainstsuicideuk" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Tandem Against Suicide UK fundraising on JustGiving</a> You can follow him on social media @tandemagainstsuicide There is more info about his chosen charities here: <a href="https://www.papyrus-uk.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Papyrus UK Suicide Prevention | Prevention of Young Suicide (papyrus-uk.org)</a> <a href="https://uksobs.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide – Overcoming the isolation of people bereaved by suicide (uksobs.org)</a> You can connect with me on social media @propermentalpodcast or via <a href="http://www.propermentalpodcast.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.propermentalpodcast.com</a>. A great way to support the show and spread the word is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from. If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to <a href="http://www.hubofhope.co.uk" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.hubofhope.co.uk</a> Thanks for listening!

Lucy Nichol

Welcome to episode 140 with Lucy Nichol, who is a writer and mental health campaigner. Her recent book, Snowflake, takes a deep-dive into some of the most harmful mental health stereotypes and in this episode Lucy and I chat about where these stereotypes come from and the impact that they have. We chat about Lucy’s own experiences with anxiety and panic attacks and how the conversation around mental health has changed since her teenage years. We chat about the stigma that surrounds mental health in general but also what the word stigma actually means and how the way we talk to each other matters just as much as what we’re talking about. We chat language, identity, compassion and some of the wonderful ways that young people are changing and impacting society and we explore some of the reasons why some people are so against that change. It was wonderful to chat to Lucy, not just about mental health, but about lots of other areas of society that can affect how we think and feel about ourselves and our place in the world. However, if you are the sort of person that doesn’t like listening to woke, snowflakes having a chat then this probably isn’t the episode for you! You can connect with Lucy via her website https://lucynichol.com or via social media Instagram @lucynichol Twitter @LucyENichol You can connect with me on social media @propermentalpodcast or via www.propermentalpodcast.com. A great way to support the show and spread the word is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from. If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk Thanks for listening!

Welcome to episode 140 with Lucy Nichol, who is a writer and mental health campaigner. Her recent book, Snowflake, takes a deep-dive into some of the most harmful mental health stereotypes and in this episode Lucy and I chat about where these stereotypes come from and the impact that they have. We chat about Lucy’s own experiences with anxiety and panic attacks and how the conversation around mental health has changed since her teenage years. We chat about the stigma that surrounds mental health in general but also what the word stigma actually means and how the way we talk to each other matters just as much as what we’re talking about. We chat language, identity, compassion and some of the wonderful ways that young people are changing and impacting society and we explore some of the reasons why some people are so against that change. It was wonderful to chat to Lucy, not just about mental health, but about lots of other areas of society that can affect how we think and feel about ourselves and our place in the world. However, if you are the sort of person that doesn’t like listening to woke, snowflakes having a chat then this probably isn’t the episode for you! You can connect with Lucy via her website <a href="https://lucynichol.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://lucynichol.com</a> or via social media Instagram @lucynichol Twitter @LucyENichol You can connect with me on social media @propermentalpodcast or via <a href="http://www.propermentalpodcast.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.propermentalpodcast.com</a>. A great way to support the show and spread the word is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from. If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to <a href="http://www.hubofhope.co.uk" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.hubofhope.co.uk</a> Thanks for listening!

Welcome to episode 139 with Matty Caine, who is the CEO and founder of First Person Project C.I.C First Person Project is a not-for-profit social enterprise who are on a social mission to promote empowerment in communities across Liverpool City Region, improving mental health through socially progressive action. Matty has 17 years’ professional experience working in the field of mental health with more than a decade of Matty’s career spent working as a Registered Mental Health Nurse. During this time Matty became frustrated with the restrictions and barriers in the health care system that get in the way of people getting help. He had to take some time away from work after he started to experience depression and psychotic episodes which would eventually result in multiple suicide attempts and as part of his recovery Matty started the First Person Project. Initially knocking on doors in his local area to support anyone in the community who was struggling and unable to access the right help, his work swiftly grew and we now has a team around him and several support hubs in the Liverpool City Region. It’s an inspiring story and the community-based approach to mental health support just feels exciting and groundbreaking.  I cannot wait for you to hear about this work and the impact that Matty and his team have had in such a short space of time! Everything you need to know can be found here: www.firstpersonprojectcic.co.uk Twitter @FirstPersonCIC / @mattycaine87 Instagram @firstpersonprojectcic / @mattycaine1 www.facebook.com/FirstPersonProjectCIC You can connect with me on social media @propermentalpodcast or via www.propermentalpodcast.com. A great way to support the show and spread the word is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from. If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk Thanks for listening!

Welcome to episode 139 with Matty Caine, who is the CEO and founder of First Person Project C.I.C First Person Project is a not-for-profit social enterprise who are on a social mission to promote empowerment in communities across Liverpool City Region, improving mental health through socially progressive action. Matty has 17 years’ professional experience working in the field of mental health with more than a decade of Matty’s career spent working as a Registered Mental Health Nurse. During this time Matty became frustrated with the restrictions and barriers in the health care system that get in the way of people getting help. He had to take some time away from work after he started to experience depression and psychotic episodes which would eventually result in multiple suicide attempts and as part of his recovery Matty started the First Person Project. Initially knocking on doors in his local area to support anyone in the community who was struggling and unable to access the right help, his work swiftly grew and we now has a team around him and several support hubs in the Liverpool City Region. It’s an inspiring story and the community-based approach to mental health support just feels exciting and groundbreaking.  I cannot wait for you to hear about this work and the impact that Matty and his team have had in such a short space of time! Everything you need to know can be found here: <a href="http://www.firstpersonprojectcic.co.uk" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.firstpersonprojectcic.co.uk</a> Twitter @FirstPersonCIC / @mattycaine87 Instagram @firstpersonprojectcic / @mattycaine1 <a href="http://www.facebook.com/FirstPersonProjectCIC" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/FirstPersonProjectCIC</a> You can connect with me on social media @propermentalpodcast or via <a href="http://www.propermentalpodcast.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.propermentalpodcast.com</a>. A great way to support the show and spread the word is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from. If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to <a href="http://www.hubofhope.co.uk" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.hubofhope.co.uk</a> Thanks for listening!

Matty Caine

Leon MCLeod

Welcome to episode 138 with PC Leon McLeod! On 3rd June 2017 three terrorists drove a white van into pedestrians on London Bridge, then leapt out and started attacking bystanders. As the attack took place, Leon was just starting a night shift and happened to be walking through the area as the attack took place.  He was one of the first officers on the scene, giving chase to the attackers and administering first aid and getting people to safety.  He was later awarded the Queen’s Gallantry Medal for his actions that night. Shortly after these events, Leon’s mental health started deteriorate and, in this episode, Leon takes me through his recollections of the attack, how it played out around him and the impact it all had on his mental state. We talk about the days and weeks that followed, how he dealt with it all and the impact that it had on his personal life and the people around him. Something that really stands out from Leon’s story is that although the catalyst for him was incredibly specific, the way it impacted him and how it all played out is really relatable and that just shows how much common ground there is when it comes to mental health and why sharing stories is so important. This is an incredible episode and I cannot thank Leon enough for speaking so openly about his experiences. You can connect with me on social media @propermentalpodcast or via www.propermentalpodcast.com. A great way to support the show and spread the word is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from. If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk Thanks for listening!

Welcome to episode 138 with PC Leon McLeod! On 3rd June 2017 three terrorists drove a white van into pedestrians on London Bridge, then leapt out and started attacking bystanders. As the attack took place, Leon was just starting a night shift and happened to be walking through the area as the attack took place.  He was one of the first officers on the scene, giving chase to the attackers and administering first aid and getting people to safety.  He was later awarded the Queen’s Gallantry Medal for his actions that night. Shortly after these events, Leon’s mental health started deteriorate and, in this episode, Leon takes me through his recollections of the attack, how it played out around him and the impact it all had on his mental state. We talk about the days and weeks that followed, how he dealt with it all and the impact that it had on his personal life and the people around him. Something that really stands out from Leon’s story is that although the catalyst for him was incredibly specific, the way it impacted him and how it all played out is really relatable and that just shows how much common ground there is when it comes to mental health and why sharing stories is so important. This is an incredible episode and I cannot thank Leon enough for speaking so openly about his experiences. You can connect with me on social media @propermentalpodcast or via <a href="http://www.propermentalpodcast.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.propermentalpodcast.com</a>. A great way to support the show and spread the word is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from. If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to <a href="http://www.hubofhope.co.uk" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.hubofhope.co.uk</a> Thanks for listening!

PC Leon McLeod

Harriet Dyer

Welcome to episode 137 With Harriet Dyer, who is a stand up comedian, writer and mental health advocate. Growing up, Harriet just thought that she was just eccentric but as she got older, and people kept trying to have her sectioned, she came to realise that there might be more going on. She would eventually be diagnosed with bipolar and has incorporated her experiences with mental illness in to her comedy ever since. In this episode I chat to Harriet about the fine line between being eccentric and mentally ill and we talk about some of the experiences that led to her diagnosis and performing stand up about it. We chat about mental health in the world of comedy, making mental illness funny and the different ways that people react and we chat about her award-winning mental health comedy night, Barking Tales, and how that came to be. I also highly recommend the Make Me Better podcast that Harriet co-hosts with Louise Young where they try out different self-improvement fads to see if anything makes them less insane and we chat about some of the things Harriet has tried in this episode too. It was so much fun to chat to Harriet and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! You can learn more about Harriet and her Barking Tales comedy night via her website www.harrietdyer.com. Follow her on social media @harrietdyercomedy and @makemebetterpod Make Me Better is available on all podcast platforms You can watch her special Trigger Warning here: Harriet Dyer: Trigger Warning - YouTube You can connect with me on social media @propermentalpodcast or via www.propermentalpodcast.com. A great way to support the show and spread the word is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from. If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk Thanks for listening!

Welcome to episode 137 With Harriet Dyer, who is a stand up comedian, writer and mental health advocate. Growing up, Harriet just thought that she was just eccentric but as she got older, and people kept trying to have her sectioned, she came to realise that there might be more going on. She would eventually be diagnosed with bipolar and has incorporated her experiences with mental illness in to her comedy ever since. In this episode I chat to Harriet about the fine line between being eccentric and mentally ill and we talk about some of the experiences that led to her diagnosis and performing stand up about it. We chat about mental health in the world of comedy, making mental illness funny and the different ways that people react and we chat about her award-winning mental health comedy night, Barking Tales, and how that came to be. I also highly recommend the Make Me Better podcast that Harriet co-hosts with Louise Young where they try out different self-improvement fads to see if anything makes them less insane and we chat about some of the things Harriet has tried in this episode too. It was so much fun to chat to Harriet and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! You can learn more about Harriet and her Barking Tales comedy night via her website <a href="http://www.harrietdyer.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.harrietdyer.com</a>. Follow her on social media @harrietdyercomedy and @makemebetterpod Make Me Better is available on all podcast platforms You can watch her special Trigger Warning here: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKczZtezGys" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Harriet Dyer: Trigger Warning - YouTube</a> You can connect with me on social media @propermentalpodcast or via <a href="http://www.propermentalpodcast.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.propermentalpodcast.com</a>. A great way to support the show and spread the word is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from. If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to <a href="http://www.hubofhope.co.uk" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.hubofhope.co.uk</a> Thanks for listening!

Welcome to episode 136 with Dan Osman, who is a health and wellbeing coach and educator. In this episode I chat to Dan about his background, how he got in to the world of fitness and how he became a coach. We chat about his own experiences with mental ill health and the impact that has had on his coaching process, the way he works with his clients and how he sees the world. We chat about identity, avoidance, choosing to get help and making big changes. We also chat about body image, particularly in men, and some of the societal reasons that affect how men see themselves and how they feel about their body’s. I’m a big fan of Dan’s social media content and how he writes and talks about mental health and life in general so it was great to get the chance to explore some of his ideas.  This conversation goes absolutely everywhere and to a lot of places that neither of us expected.  There is something really nourishing about two men, who don’t know each other, just chatting openly about their insecurities and being really honest and this was an absolute joy to be a part of!  You can follow Dan on social media @the.dan.osman and I highly recommend you do so as his content is brilliant! I also highly recommend Dan’s podcast ‘Ramblings of a Mad Man’ which is available on all podcast platforms. You can connect with me on social media @propermentalpodcast or via www.propermentalpodcast.com. A great way to support the show and spread the word is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from. If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk Thanks for listening!

Welcome to episode 136 with Dan Osman, who is a health and wellbeing coach and educator. In this episode I chat to Dan about his background, how he got in to the world of fitness and how he became a coach. We chat about his own experiences with mental ill health and the impact that has had on his coaching process, the way he works with his clients and how he sees the world. We chat about identity, avoidance, choosing to get help and making big changes. We also chat about body image, particularly in men, and some of the societal reasons that affect how men see themselves and how they feel about their body’s. I’m a big fan of Dan’s social media content and how he writes and talks about mental health and life in general so it was great to get the chance to explore some of his ideas.  This conversation goes absolutely everywhere and to a lot of places that neither of us expected.  There is something really nourishing about two men, who don’t know each other, just chatting openly about their insecurities and being really honest and this was an absolute joy to be a part of!  You can follow Dan on social media @the.dan.osman and I highly recommend you do so as his content is brilliant! I also highly recommend Dan’s podcast ‘Ramblings of a Mad Man’ which is available on all podcast platforms. You can connect with me on social media @propermentalpodcast or via <a href="http://www.propermentalpodcast.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.propermentalpodcast.com</a>. A great way to support the show and spread the word is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from. If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to <a href="http://www.hubofhope.co.uk" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.hubofhope.co.uk</a> Thanks for listening!

Dan Osman

Eddy Temple-Morris

Welcome to episode 135 with Eddy Temple-Morris, who is a musician, DJ &amp; Broadcaster. He is also a patron for My Black Dog, a mental health charity and ground breaking peer-to-peer service that’s hosted by volunteers that all have lived experience so anyone who’s struggling can web-chat with someone who really gets it. In this episode I chat to Eddy about his work with My Black Dog and his own experiences with anxiety, insomnia and suicidal thoughts. We chat about mental wellbeing and the practices that Eddy uses every day to look after himself.  We cover meditation, the Wim Hoff Method, food, music, nature and all sorts of other wonderful things that are good for the mind, body and spirit. And we chat about the importance of talking, connecting with others and the importance of shared experience and using ADHD as a super power. Eddy has been actively involved in the mental health for a long time and has gained some incredible insights along the way.  He was actually on the dream guest that I wrote up when I first started Proper Mental so to get to chat to him was really special and he is just the loveliest man! You can listen to Eddy on Virgin Radio through the week 10:00 – 13:00. Catch up with everything that Eddy does via his website https://eddytm.com or via his social media @eddytemplemorris. You can learn more about My Black Dog at www.myblackdog.co or @myblackdog_co You can check out the record Eddy mentions towards the end here: The Nightfly - YouTube You can connect with me on social media @propermentalpodcast or via www.propermentalpodcast.com. A great way to support the show and spread the word is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from. If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk Thanks for listening!

Welcome to episode 135 with Eddy Temple-Morris, who is a musician, DJ &amp; Broadcaster. He is also a patron for My Black Dog, a mental health charity and ground breaking peer-to-peer service that’s hosted by volunteers that all have lived experience so anyone who’s struggling can web-chat with someone who really gets it. In this episode I chat to Eddy about his work with My Black Dog and his own experiences with anxiety, insomnia and suicidal thoughts. We chat about mental wellbeing and the practices that Eddy uses every day to look after himself.  We cover meditation, the Wim Hoff Method, food, music, nature and all sorts of other wonderful things that are good for the mind, body and spirit. And we chat about the importance of talking, connecting with others and the importance of shared experience and using ADHD as a super power. Eddy has been actively involved in the mental health for a long time and has gained some incredible insights along the way.  He was actually on the dream guest that I wrote up when I first started Proper Mental so to get to chat to him was really special and he is just the loveliest man! You can listen to Eddy on Virgin Radio through the week 10:00 – 13:00. Catch up with everything that Eddy does via his website <a href="https://eddytm.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://eddytm.com</a> or via his social media @eddytemplemorris. You can learn more about My Black Dog at <a href="http://www.myblackdog.co" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.myblackdog.co</a> or @myblackdog_co You can check out the record Eddy mentions towards the end here: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rrrof1TJc4" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Nightfly - YouTube</a> You can connect with me on social media @propermentalpodcast or via <a href="http://www.propermentalpodcast.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.propermentalpodcast.com</a>. A great way to support the show and spread the word is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from. If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to <a href="http://www.hubofhope.co.uk" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.hubofhope.co.uk</a> Thanks for listening!

Welcome to episode 134 with Suzy Reading, who is a Chartered Psychologist specialising in wellbeing, stress management and facilitation of healthy lifestyle change. She is also a yoga teacher, author and coach who is recognised as one of the world’s leading self-care experts. In this episode I chat to Suzy about her life experience of motherhood colliding with the terminal illness of her father that sparked her passion for self-care. We chat about the importance of rest, some of the reasons why slowing down isn’t valued by society and why the language we use to talk about resting is important. Suzy also takes me through her ‘8 Pillars of Rest’ and we look at different ways to rest and how we can start to apply them. We also chat about setting boundaries, using Mantra’s, switching off and letting go and why we all need a rest prescription based on our own individual needs. I loved to chatting to Suzy and even just talking about this stuff helped me to feel replenished and energised!  This episode has loads of practical advice and ideas to get you started on a more compassionate and restful way of being. Suzy’s latest book ‘Rest To Reset: The busy person’s guide to resting with purpose’ is out now and available everywhere. Everything you need to know about Suzy and her work can be found at www.suzyreading.co.uk and you can follow her on social media @suzyreading and I highly recommend her Instagram page! You can connect with me on social media @propermentalpodcast or via www.propermentalpodcast.com. A great way to support the show and spread the word is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from. If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk Thanks for listening!

Welcome to episode 134 with Suzy Reading, who is a Chartered Psychologist specialising in wellbeing, stress management and facilitation of healthy lifestyle change. She is also a yoga teacher, author and coach who is recognised as one of the world’s leading self-care experts. In this episode I chat to Suzy about her life experience of motherhood colliding with the terminal illness of her father that sparked her passion for self-care. We chat about the importance of rest, some of the reasons why slowing down isn’t valued by society and why the language we use to talk about resting is important. Suzy also takes me through her ‘8 Pillars of Rest’ and we look at different ways to rest and how we can start to apply them. We also chat about setting boundaries, using Mantra’s, switching off and letting go and why we all need a rest prescription based on our own individual needs. I loved to chatting to Suzy and even just talking about this stuff helped me to feel replenished and energised!  This episode has loads of practical advice and ideas to get you started on a more compassionate and restful way of being. Suzy’s latest book ‘Rest To Reset: The busy person’s guide to resting with purpose’ is out now and available everywhere. Everything you need to know about Suzy and her work can be found at <a href="http://www.suzyreading.co.uk" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.suzyreading.co.uk</a> and you can follow her on social media @suzyreading and I highly recommend her Instagram page! You can connect with me on social media @propermentalpodcast or via <a href="http://www.propermentalpodcast.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.propermentalpodcast.com</a>. A great way to support the show and spread the word is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from. If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to <a href="http://www.hubofhope.co.uk" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.hubofhope.co.uk</a> Thanks for listening!

Suzy Reading

Normalising open and honest conversation about mental health by having open and honest conversations about mental health.

Adam Nutter

Welcome to episode 133 with Adam Nutter who is a guitarist, musician and songwriter. Adam formed The Music with some friends (Robert Harvey, Stuart Coleman, Phil Jordan) while still at high school and the band were quickly called the best unsigned band in Britain by the NME. When the group turned 18, they released their debut album which went in to the charts at number 4 and they set off on tour with the likes of U2, Oasis and Coldplay. After two years of relentless touring, there was suddenly a lot of record label pressure to make a follow up record and the next few years would be complicated by the stresses of touring, music industry politics, burn out and the impact of streaming music. The band called it a day whilst working on what would have been album number 4 and Adam found himself back at home and estranged from the rest of the band and without the only job that he knew how to do.  He was still only in his late twenties at this point and all of this combined took a massive toll on his mental health and his sense of identity. He turned his back on music, put his guitars in storage and wouldn’t play again for a decade.  He would also be diagnosed with ADHD and Bipolar and had to try and work out who he was and what he was going to do with the rest of his life.  He spiralled in to a really dark and angry place. An unexpected but lovely series of events, linked to lockdown and the pandemic and a Tim Burgess Twitter Listening Party, would allow Adam to reconnect with this band mates and the fans of the music they made together.  He started playing guitar again and made peace with everything that happened by writing his new solo album ‘Badlands on Fire’. It’s an incredible story and it was hard to hear at times but it does come with a really beautiful ending and I can’t thank Adam enough for sharing it with me! His new record is available here:  Adam Nutter | "Badlands on Fire" - OUT NOW Adam has his own podcast ‘The Music and More’ which is available everywhere. Everything else you need is here: adam_nutter | Twitter, Instagram, Facebook | Linktree You can connect with me on social media @propermentalpodcast or via www.propermentalpodcast.com. A great way to support the show and spread the word is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from. If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk Thanks for listening!

Welcome to episode 133 with Adam Nutter who is a guitarist, musician and songwriter. Adam formed The Music with some friends (Robert Harvey, Stuart Coleman, Phil Jordan) while still at high school and the band were quickly called the best unsigned band in Britain by the NME. When the group turned 18, they released their debut album which went in to the charts at number 4 and they set off on tour with the likes of U2, Oasis and Coldplay. After two years of relentless touring, there was suddenly a lot of record label pressure to make a follow up record and the next few years would be complicated by the stresses of touring, music industry politics, burn out and the impact of streaming music. The band called it a day whilst working on what would have been album number 4 and Adam found himself back at home and estranged from the rest of the band and without the only job that he knew how to do.  He was still only in his late twenties at this point and all of this combined took a massive toll on his mental health and his sense of identity. He turned his back on music, put his guitars in storage and wouldn’t play again for a decade.  He would also be diagnosed with ADHD and Bipolar and had to try and work out who he was and what he was going to do with the rest of his life.  He spiralled in to a really dark and angry place. An unexpected but lovely series of events, linked to lockdown and the pandemic and a Tim Burgess Twitter Listening Party, would allow Adam to reconnect with this band mates and the fans of the music they made together.  He started playing guitar again and made peace with everything that happened by writing his new solo album ‘Badlands on Fire’. It’s an incredible story and it was hard to hear at times but it does come with a really beautiful ending and I can’t thank Adam enough for sharing it with me! His new record is available here:  <a href="https://www.adamnutter.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Adam Nutter | "Badlands on Fire" - OUT NOW</a> Adam has his own podcast ‘The Music and More’ which is available everywhere. Everything else you need is here: <a href="https://linktr.ee/adam_nutter" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">adam_nutter | Twitter, Instagram, Facebook | Linktree</a> You can connect with me on social media @propermentalpodcast or via <a href="http://www.propermentalpodcast.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.propermentalpodcast.com</a>. A great way to support the show and spread the word is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from. If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to <a href="http://www.hubofhope.co.uk" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.hubofhope.co.uk</a> Thanks for listening!

Welcome to episode 132 with Michelle Thomas who is a writer and the author of My Sh*t Therapist and Other Mental Health Stories. One day Michelle started crying at work and couldn’t stop.  She would end up spending the next two weeks in bed and would eventually have to leave her job. As part of her recovery journey, she started medication and started going to therapy and began looking at different parts of her life that had impacted on her mental health and contributed to her being unwell. She wrote about this process and her experience with mental illness and bad therapists in her book and in this episode, I chat to Michelle about her mental health and how a series of life events all arrived at once and caused her mental state to collapse. We also chat about medication, self-care, running and how mental illness isn’t always about the extremes but more often about managing in the middle. I enjoyed this conversation so much!  Michelle has some wonderful insights about mental health and we explore her traffic light system, the good and the bad things about therapy and why it’s important to include everybody in the mental health conversation. You can find out more about Michelle and her work here: www.michellethomas.org and connect with her on social media @msmthomas. Her book, My Sh*t Therapist and Other Mental Health Stories, is available everywhere and it’s really good read with loads of useful and amusing ideas and stories about mental health. You can connect with me on social media @propermentalpodcast or via www.propermentalpodcast.com. A great way to support the show and spread the word is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from. If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk Thanks for listening!

Welcome to episode 132 with Michelle Thomas who is a writer and the author of My Sh*t Therapist and Other Mental Health Stories. One day Michelle started crying at work and couldn’t stop.  She would end up spending the next two weeks in bed and would eventually have to leave her job. As part of her recovery journey, she started medication and started going to therapy and began looking at different parts of her life that had impacted on her mental health and contributed to her being unwell. She wrote about this process and her experience with mental illness and bad therapists in her book and in this episode, I chat to Michelle about her mental health and how a series of life events all arrived at once and caused her mental state to collapse. We also chat about medication, self-care, running and how mental illness isn’t always about the extremes but more often about managing in the middle. I enjoyed this conversation so much!  Michelle has some wonderful insights about mental health and we explore her traffic light system, the good and the bad things about therapy and why it’s important to include everybody in the mental health conversation. You can find out more about Michelle and her work here: <a href="http://www.michellethomas.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.michellethomas.org</a> and connect with her on social media @msmthomas. Her book, My Sh*t Therapist and Other Mental Health Stories, is available everywhere and it’s really good read with loads of useful and amusing ideas and stories about mental health. You can connect with me on social media @propermentalpodcast or via <a href="http://www.propermentalpodcast.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.propermentalpodcast.com</a>. A great way to support the show and spread the word is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from. If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to <a href="http://www.hubofhope.co.uk" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.hubofhope.co.uk</a> Thanks for listening!

Michelle Thomas

Tim Clare

Welcome episode 131 with Tim Clare who is a writer, a poet and a coward. Tim Clare is a writer, a poet and a coward. Tim has experienced anxiety and panic attacks for over a decade, sometimes having attacks several times a day.  These would often leave him curled up in a ball on the floor, screaming for help. Eventually Tim got to a place where he could no longer go on living in fear and he made the decision to get control of his anxiety. He set out to explore all of the common treatments, cures and support options and spent a year trialling and learning about things like exercise, hypnotherapy, medication, cold water, diet and psychedelics. He researched science, looked at the studies, spoke to the experts and tried everything himself.  He wrote about all of this in his book, Coward: Why We Get Anxious and What We Can Do About it. In this episode I chat to Tim about anxiety and what it feels like to have a panic attack. We also chat about his yearlong experiment, some of the different things that he tried and what he learned about anxiety, and about himself, along the way. It was great to chat to Tim about his book and everything that went in to it.  The amount of work he put into researching different aspects is incredible and I could have picked his brain for hours! His book is great and if you want to know more about anxiety and about what can be done to potentially help, then I would highly recommend you give it a read after listening to this! Episode 131 is out now in all the usual places! Find out more about everything that Tim does here: www.timclarepoet.co.uk You can follow him on twitter @timclarepoet You can connect with me on social media @propermentalpodcast or via www.propermentalpodcast.com. A great way to support the show and spread the word is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from. If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk Thanks for listening!

Welcome episode 131 with Tim Clare who is a writer, a poet and a coward. Tim Clare is a writer, a poet and a coward. Tim has experienced anxiety and panic attacks for over a decade, sometimes having attacks several times a day.  These would often leave him curled up in a ball on the floor, screaming for help. Eventually Tim got to a place where he could no longer go on living in fear and he made the decision to get control of his anxiety. He set out to explore all of the common treatments, cures and support options and spent a year trialling and learning about things like exercise, hypnotherapy, medication, cold water, diet and psychedelics. He researched science, looked at the studies, spoke to the experts and tried everything himself.  He wrote about all of this in his book, Coward: Why We Get Anxious and What We Can Do About it. In this episode I chat to Tim about anxiety and what it feels like to have a panic attack. We also chat about his yearlong experiment, some of the different things that he tried and what he learned about anxiety, and about himself, along the way. It was great to chat to Tim about his book and everything that went in to it.  The amount of work he put into researching different aspects is incredible and I could have picked his brain for hours! His book is great and if you want to know more about anxiety and about what can be done to potentially help, then I would highly recommend you give it a read after listening to this! Episode 131 is out now in all the usual places! Find out more about everything that Tim does here: <a href="http://www.timclarepoet.co.uk" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.timclarepoet.co.uk</a> You can follow him on twitter @timclarepoet You can connect with me on social media @propermentalpodcast or via <a href="http://www.propermentalpodcast.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.propermentalpodcast.com</a>. A great way to support the show and spread the word is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from. If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to <a href="http://www.hubofhope.co.uk" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.hubofhope.co.uk</a> Thanks for listening!

Welcome to episode 130 with Thom and Katie from The Lottery Winners! The Lottery Winners are a four-piece indie-rock band hailing from the Leigh area of Greater Manchester. Their latest album, Anxiety Replacement Therapy, contains collaborations with the likes of Boy George, Shaun Ryder and Frank Turner and recently charted at number one in the U.K album charts. The album has strong mental health themes throughout and I caught up with Thom and Katie before their recent show in Liverpool to chat all about the record. We chat about the years of graft that went in to getting a number one album and how the band has dealt with the highs and lows of the music industry. We chat about music and mental health, song writing, touring, medication and ADHD.  They also share an incredible story about what it’s like to be in the studio with Shaun Ryder! To have an album at the top of the charts with the word ‘Anxiety’ in the title is huge for normalising talking about mental health and it was awesome to chat to the band about how that came about. I’ve been a fan of these guys for a while and they are one of the best live bands around!  I cannot thank them enough for their time.  This was really cool for me and the band were so lovely and so much fun to chat to! The record is out now and the band is touring throughout the rest of the year.  Go and see them live, it’s a wonderful experience! Everything you need is here: thelotterywinners.co.uk You can connect with me on social media @propermentalpodcast or via www.propermentalpodcast.com. A great way to support the show and spread the word is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from. If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk Thanks for listening!

Welcome to episode 130 with Thom and Katie from The Lottery Winners! The Lottery Winners are a four-piece indie-rock band hailing from the Leigh area of Greater Manchester. Their latest album, Anxiety Replacement Therapy, contains collaborations with the likes of Boy George, Shaun Ryder and Frank Turner and recently charted at number one in the U.K album charts. The album has strong mental health themes throughout and I caught up with Thom and Katie before their recent show in Liverpool to chat all about the record. We chat about the years of graft that went in to getting a number one album and how the band has dealt with the highs and lows of the music industry. We chat about music and mental health, song writing, touring, medication and ADHD.  They also share an incredible story about what it’s like to be in the studio with Shaun Ryder! To have an album at the top of the charts with the word ‘Anxiety’ in the title is huge for normalising talking about mental health and it was awesome to chat to the band about how that came about. I’ve been a fan of these guys for a while and they are one of the best live bands around!  I cannot thank them enough for their time.  This was really cool for me and the band were so lovely and so much fun to chat to! The record is out now and the band is touring throughout the rest of the year.  Go and see them live, it’s a wonderful experience! Everything you need is here: <a href="https://www.thelotterywinners.co.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">thelotterywinners.co.uk</a> You can connect with me on social media @propermentalpodcast or via <a href="http://www.propermentalpodcast.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.propermentalpodcast.com</a>. A great way to support the show and spread the word is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from. If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to <a href="http://www.hubofhope.co.uk" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.hubofhope.co.uk</a> Thanks for listening!

The Lottery Winners

Welcome to episode 129 with Richard Mabey, a writer and broadcaster who has been writing about the natural world for more than 50 years and is considered by many to be the father of modern nature writing. His first book Food for Free was published in 1972 and has never been out of print.  He has written over 30 books since. At the age of 61 Richard endured a series of life events that led to a breakdown and a period of depression that lasted for two years.  He fell out of love with the natural world and was unable to write. After some time in hospital, Richard moved to Norfolk to be cared for by friends and slowly started to write about his new surroundings, and his recovery, in real time.  This work became the memoir Nature Cure which was published in 2005. In this episode I chat to Richard about his early years and how his interest in the natural world began. We chat about his life and his experiences with mental ill health and we chat about the series of events that led to his two years of depression and how he came back from it. We also chat about the association between nature and mental health and how we could be in danger of degrading nature in to a form of green anti-depressant. Richard’s books are available everywhere and you can learn more about his work via his website www.richardmabey.co.uk You can connect with me on social media @propermentalpodcast and you can connect with me via the website here: www.propermentalpodcast.com Another way to support is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from! If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk Thanks for listening!

Welcome to episode 129 with Richard Mabey, a writer and broadcaster who has been writing about the natural world for more than 50 years and is considered by many to be the father of modern nature writing. His first book Food for Free was published in 1972 and has never been out of print.  He has written over 30 books since. At the age of 61 Richard endured a series of life events that led to a breakdown and a period of depression that lasted for two years.  He fell out of love with the natural world and was unable to write. After some time in hospital, Richard moved to Norfolk to be cared for by friends and slowly started to write about his new surroundings, and his recovery, in real time.  This work became the memoir Nature Cure which was published in 2005. In this episode I chat to Richard about his early years and how his interest in the natural world began. We chat about his life and his experiences with mental ill health and we chat about the series of events that led to his two years of depression and how he came back from it. We also chat about the association between nature and mental health and how we could be in danger of degrading nature in to a form of green anti-depressant. Richard’s books are available everywhere and you can learn more about his work via his website <a href="http://www.richardmabey.co.uk" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.richardmabey.co.uk</a> You can connect with me on social media @propermentalpodcast and you can connect with me via the website here: <a href="http://www.propermentalpodcast.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.propermentalpodcast.com</a> Another way to support is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from! If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to <a href="www.hubofhope.co.uk" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.hubofhope.co.uk</a> Thanks for listening!

Richard Mabey

Rachel Walker Mason

Welcome to episode 128 with Rachel Walker Mason, a multi-award-winning songwriter and mental health campaigner who has written songs with Grammy nominee’s and Billboard 100 artists. She also runs song writing workshops for anyone who has experienced or been affected by post-natal depression and has been described by Prince Harry as ‘an inspiration’ for her mentoring and charity work. Rachel experienced post-natal depression after both her pregnancies and in this episode, we chat about her diagnosis and what life was like for her at that time. As part of her recovery from PND, Rachel joined support groups and found comfort in the experiences of others.  She collected some of these stories and, along with her own, published them in the best-selling book, Not the Only One. In this episode we chat about recovery, what that looked like for her and how the pressure to be seen as a good parent can get in the way of asking for help. We get in to the song writing workshops she does with people who have experienced PND, how creative process is affected by depression and how mental health features in songs written by those who have also faced challenges. I loved chatting to Rachel and it was great to be able speak about parenting and mental health in such an open and honest way. Connect with Rachel on social media @rachelwalkermason or learn more about her work via her website www.rachelwalkermason.com. Her PND workshops can be found at www.lyricallight.com. You can connect with me on social media @propermentalpodcast and you can connect with me via the website here: www.propermentalpodcast.com Another way to support is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from! If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk Thanks for listening!

Welcome to episode 128 with Rachel Walker Mason, a multi-award-winning songwriter and mental health campaigner who has written songs with Grammy nominee’s and Billboard 100 artists. She also runs song writing workshops for anyone who has experienced or been affected by post-natal depression and has been described by Prince Harry as ‘an inspiration’ for her mentoring and charity work. Rachel experienced post-natal depression after both her pregnancies and in this episode, we chat about her diagnosis and what life was like for her at that time. As part of her recovery from PND, Rachel joined support groups and found comfort in the experiences of others.  She collected some of these stories and, along with her own, published them in the best-selling book, Not the Only One. In this episode we chat about recovery, what that looked like for her and how the pressure to be seen as a good parent can get in the way of asking for help. We get in to the song writing workshops she does with people who have experienced PND, how creative process is affected by depression and how mental health features in songs written by those who have also faced challenges. I loved chatting to Rachel and it was great to be able speak about parenting and mental health in such an open and honest way. Connect with Rachel on social media @rachelwalkermason or learn more about her work via her website <a href="http://www.rachelwalkermason.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.rachelwalkermason.com</a>. Her PND workshops can be found at <a href="http://www.lyricallight.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.lyricallight.com</a>. You can connect with me on social media @propermentalpodcast and you can connect with me via the website here: <a href="http://www.propermentalpodcast.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.propermentalpodcast.com</a> Another way to support is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from! If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to <a href="www.hubofhope.co.uk" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.hubofhope.co.uk</a> Thanks for listening!

Sam Delaney

Welcome to episode 127 with Sam Delaney, a journalist and broadcaster whose work has featured in Guardian, Big Issue, Talk Sport and many others. He is also a podcaster and an author and I reached out to Sam after reading his recent book, Sort Your Head Out: Mental Health without the Bollocks. It’s a great read and I can’t recommend it highly enough!  It was great to chat to Sam about his work in the media and why he started writing about his mental health. We talk about feelings and emotions and how it’s easier to drink them away rather than actual feel them.  We also talk about why that strategy doesn’t work very well at all! We chat about Sam’s struggles with addiction and how he got sober and we chat about the impact that his childhood and lad culture had on his mental health as he got older. We chat about boozing, anxiety, looking out for your mates and going to therapy. It’s a really open and honest conversation between two blokes who both had to learn to talk about this stuff the hard way and it was a lot of fun to be a part of! You can connect with Sam on Twitter @DelaneyMan or Instagram @theresetsam and links to everything is does can be found at www.samdelaney.co.uk Sort Your Head Out (Mental Health Without the Bollocks) is available now in all bookshops. You can connect with me on social media @propermentalpodcast and you can connect with me via the website here: www.propermentalpodcast.com Another way to support is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from! If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk Thanks for listening!

Welcome to episode 127 with Sam Delaney, a journalist and broadcaster whose work has featured in Guardian, Big Issue, Talk Sport and many others. He is also a podcaster and an author and I reached out to Sam after reading his recent book, Sort Your Head Out: Mental Health without the Bollocks. It’s a great read and I can’t recommend it highly enough!  It was great to chat to Sam about his work in the media and why he started writing about his mental health. We talk about feelings and emotions and how it’s easier to drink them away rather than actual feel them.  We also talk about why that strategy doesn’t work very well at all! We chat about Sam’s struggles with addiction and how he got sober and we chat about the impact that his childhood and lad culture had on his mental health as he got older. We chat about boozing, anxiety, looking out for your mates and going to therapy. It’s a really open and honest conversation between two blokes who both had to learn to talk about this stuff the hard way and it was a lot of fun to be a part of! You can connect with Sam on Twitter @DelaneyMan or Instagram @theresetsam and links to everything is does can be found at <a href="http://www.samdelaney.co.uk" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.samdelaney.co.uk</a> Sort Your Head Out (Mental Health Without the Bollocks) is available now in all bookshops. You can connect with me on social media @propermentalpodcast and you can connect with me via the website here: <a href="http://www.propermentalpodcast.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.propermentalpodcast.com</a> Another way to support is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from! If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to <a href="www.hubofhope.co.uk" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.hubofhope.co.uk</a> Thanks for listening!

Welcome to episode 126 with Debbie Rogers, who is the founder of Sean’s Place, a safe place for men to get social support and therapeutic support in a non-clinical and non-judgemental setting. Debbie started the service after losing her brother Sean in 2019, after a long battle with his mental health. Sean’s Place offers a range of practical, proactive support that is free to access that includes therapy, hypnotherapy, medication support, as well as yoga and mindfulness sessions, an angling club, drop in socials and a whole host of different courses and activities. In this episode, Debbie ad I chat about setting up the service and building different support options based on what the members need. We chat the usual barriers that stop men attending sessions or asking for help and the challenge of just letting men know that this help is out there. We also chat about Debbie’s brother Sean and the story behind this wonderful space which highlights just how vital places like Sean’s Place are to the local community. I was lucky enough to visit Sean’s Place and get a guided tour before recording this episode in person.  It’s an incredible space filled with incredible people and I can’t thank Debbie enough for having me. Please go and follow Sean’s Place on social media @seansplaceuk.  You can learn more and have a look at the time table via the website seansplace.org.uk You can connect with me on social media @propermentalpodcast and you can connect with me via the website here: www.propermentalpodcast.com Another way to support is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from! If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk Running Fundamentals is available now at www.movementrestored.co.uk/programs Thanks for listening!

Welcome to episode 126 with Debbie Rogers, who is the founder of Sean’s Place, a safe place for men to get social support and therapeutic support in a non-clinical and non-judgemental setting. Debbie started the service after losing her brother Sean in 2019, after a long battle with his mental health. Sean’s Place offers a range of practical, proactive support that is free to access that includes therapy, hypnotherapy, medication support, as well as yoga and mindfulness sessions, an angling club, drop in socials and a whole host of different courses and activities. In this episode, Debbie ad I chat about setting up the service and building different support options based on what the members need. We chat the usual barriers that stop men attending sessions or asking for help and the challenge of just letting men know that this help is out there. We also chat about Debbie’s brother Sean and the story behind this wonderful space which highlights just how vital places like Sean’s Place are to the local community. I was lucky enough to visit Sean’s Place and get a guided tour before recording this episode in person.  It’s an incredible space filled with incredible people and I can’t thank Debbie enough for having me. Please go and follow Sean’s Place on social media @seansplaceuk.  You can learn more and have a look at the time table via the website <a href="http://seansplace.org.uk" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">seansplace.org.uk</a> You can connect with me on social media @propermentalpodcast and you can connect with me via the website here: <a href="http://www.propermentalpodcast.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.propermentalpodcast.com</a> Another way to support is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from! If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to <a href="www.hubofhope.co.uk" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.hubofhope.co.uk</a> Running Fundamentals is available now at <a href="http://www.movementrestored.co.uk/programs" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.movementrestored.co.uk/programs</a> Thanks for listening!

Debbie Rogers

Welcome to episode 125 with Sally Orange, who is an endurance runner, mental health campaigner and speaker. She holds 11 Guinness World Records, has ran over 70 marathons and has completed 22 years’ exemplary service in the Royal Army Medical Corps as a Physiotherapy Officer. This included an operational tour of duty in Afghanistan. She captained the first British female team to complete the relentless Race Across America, the world’s toughest cycle race and has also ran the toughest footrace on earth, the Marathon des Sables.  And she’s also cycled the length of New Zealand, swam the English Channel relay and skied 250km across the largest plateau in the Arctic Circle.  Most of which she has done dressed as various pieces of fruit to start stigma busting conversations about mental health. In this episode I chat to Sally about her first marathon at the age of 34, why she started running and how it led to these adventures. We talk about her own life long mental health challenges and how she balances looking after herself with taking part in these endurance events. We also talk about fancy dress and starting conversations, her 22 years in the Royal Army Medical Corps and how to dig deep when you need to. It was amazing chatting to Sally about her adventures and equally amazing to hear the mental health story behind them! You can follow her on social media @sallyorange and learn more about her future adventures on her website www.sallyorange.com. You can connect with me on social media @propermentalpodcast and you can connect with me via the website here: www.propermentalpodcast.com Another way to support is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from! If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk Running Fundamentals is available now at www.movementrestored.co.uk/programs Thanks for listening!

Welcome to episode 125 with Sally Orange, who is an endurance runner, mental health campaigner and speaker. She holds 11 Guinness World Records, has ran over 70 marathons and has completed 22 years’ exemplary service in the Royal Army Medical Corps as a Physiotherapy Officer. This included an operational tour of duty in Afghanistan. She captained the first British female team to complete the relentless Race Across America, the world’s toughest cycle race and has also ran the toughest footrace on earth, the Marathon des Sables.  And she’s also cycled the length of New Zealand, swam the English Channel relay and skied 250km across the largest plateau in the Arctic Circle.  Most of which she has done dressed as various pieces of fruit to start stigma busting conversations about mental health. In this episode I chat to Sally about her first marathon at the age of 34, why she started running and how it led to these adventures. We talk about her own life long mental health challenges and how she balances looking after herself with taking part in these endurance events. We also talk about fancy dress and starting conversations, her 22 years in the Royal Army Medical Corps and how to dig deep when you need to. It was amazing chatting to Sally about her adventures and equally amazing to hear the mental health story behind them! You can follow her on social media @sallyorange and learn more about her future adventures on her website <a href="http://www.sallyorange.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.sallyorange.com</a>. You can connect with me on social media @propermentalpodcast and you can connect with me via the website here: <a href="http://www.propermentalpodcast.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.propermentalpodcast.com</a> Another way to support is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from! If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to <a href="www.hubofhope.co.uk" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.hubofhope.co.uk</a> Running Fundamentals is available now at <a href="http://www.movementrestored.co.uk/programs" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.movementrestored.co.uk/programs</a> Thanks for listening!

Sally Orange

Welcome to episode 124 with Josh Fletcher, who is a psychotherapist, author, speaker and self-confessed anxiety nerd. He became a therapist after his own challenges with panic attacks, agoraphobia and intrusive thoughts and is now one of the leading voices in anxiety support and recovery. In this episode Josh and I chat about his own experiences, where his version of anxiety came from and what he did about it. We chat about the different ways that anxiety can present and go through some of the different ways to deal with it. We cover exposure therapy, proving anxiety wrong, using compassion and retraining the brain. It’s a fascinating conversation and it definitely gave me a better understanding about anxiety and all the stuff that comes with it. You can follow Josh on all social media platforms @anxietyjosh and learn more about everything he does via his website schoolofanxiety.com You can connect with me on social media @propermentalpodcast and you can connect with me via the website here: www.propermentalpodcast.com Another way to support is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from! If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk Thanks for listening!

Welcome to episode 124 with Josh Fletcher, who is a psychotherapist, author, speaker and self-confessed anxiety nerd. He became a therapist after his own challenges with panic attacks, agoraphobia and intrusive thoughts and is now one of the leading voices in anxiety support and recovery. In this episode Josh and I chat about his own experiences, where his version of anxiety came from and what he did about it. We chat about the different ways that anxiety can present and go through some of the different ways to deal with it. We cover exposure therapy, proving anxiety wrong, using compassion and retraining the brain. It’s a fascinating conversation and it definitely gave me a better understanding about anxiety and all the stuff that comes with it. You can follow Josh on all social media platforms @anxietyjosh and learn more about everything he does via his website <a href="http://schoolofanxiety.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">schoolofanxiety.com</a> You can connect with me on social media @propermentalpodcast and you can connect with me via the website here: <a href="http://www.propermentalpodcast.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.propermentalpodcast.com</a> Another way to support is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from! If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to <a href="www.hubofhope.co.uk" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.hubofhope.co.uk</a> Thanks for listening!

Josh Fletcher

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