Happy Place

Is it art if no one sees or hears it? In this chat, musician Kesha joins Fearne to talk about our sometimes obsessive relationship with feedback, and why your own opinion of your work is the only one that should really matter.  As the artist behind pop track Tik Tok, Kesha had been known for being a burst of high energy for her fans, but more recently she’s been compelled to expose different sides of herself, including the ‘ugly’ emotions and behaviours, as she calls them. In this chat, she and Fearne both share their experiences of eating disorders and panic attacks. Kesha’s new album, Gag Order, sees her getting intimate with herself at a time when she’s had a lot of outside noise to contend with, and it's out now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are you aware of the importance of relationships and human connection to your happiness? Psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, and Zen priest Robert ‘Bob’ Waldinger leads the world’s longest scientific study of happiness, and has found relationships to be crucial.In this chat, Bob tells Fearne how much of a role genetics plays in happiness, and how much we really do have control over. They also talk about the difference between being around people and really being present with them, as well as how to start prioritising relationships over other traditional markers of success.Bob’s book, co-authored with Marc Schulz, is called The Good Life and is out now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Giving yourself permission to enjoy something is a discipline that requires practice. This is just one of the many lessons snooker player Ronnie O’Sullivan has learnt as he’s changed his approach to the game over the years. In this chat with Fearne, Ronnie talks about how he would now always choose happiness over traditional markers of success, and how his challenging childhood made him incredibly resilient and able to cope with change, injustice, and adversity.  In Ronnie's latest book, Unbreakable, he shares what it takes to be the very best in your field. It's out on 11th May.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this special episode in partnership with The National Lottery, Fearne speaks to East Londoner Steve Barnabis who's dedicated his life to saving children from knife crime. He’s spent his entire career working to improve the lives of young people, to tackle youth violence, and create safe spaces for children and teens to express themselves. After meeting the Royals at a Big Lunch event last year, Steve, together with his organisation Project Zero, and the local community, will be putting on his own Coronation Big Lunch over the bank holiday weekend. The Big Lunch, made possible by National Lottery Players, brings millions of people together annually to boost community spirit, whilst encouraging neighbours to share friendship, food and fun. In this chat with Fearne, Steve explains how understanding the root causes of knife violence – mental health, school performance, home life anxieties – is the key to reducing anti-social and offending behaviour, and promoting social inclusion. He also opens up about how knife crime has directly affected his family. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kate Ferdinand found herself with three step children when she fell in love and moved in with now-husband Rio six years ago. Since then, she’s become a supportive voice for others with blended families.In this chat, Fearne and Kate talk about how proud they both are of the relationships their step and biological children have, as well as why their fear of rejection is stronger with their step children than their biological children. Plus, Kate explains why she feels consistency and communication have been the most important principles in creating a harmonious family. Kate’s book, How To Build A Family, is published by Happy Place Books and is out on May 11th. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Self-compassion is vital in manifesting. Meditation teacher and mentor Joey Hulin knows we have to believe that we deserve good things in order to lean into going after them. In this chat with Fearne, Joey explains that manifesting means intentionally thinking about, and working hard towards the things we want in our lives. We have to really embody our desires if we’re to achieve our dreams. They also chat about where science and mysticism meet, the concept of luck, and whether we should be doing spells... Joey’s new book, ‘Your Manifesting Year’ is published by Happy Place Books, and is out now.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are you conscious of the importance of connecting with nature? Does it help you better connect with yourself? That’s certainly the case for Charlotte Church. After years in the spotlight as a singer, Charlotte has now created The Dreaming – a wellness retreat in the heart of Wales. In this chat with Fearne, she explains how things like being outside, the power of sound, and generally having a slower pace of life have helped her heal from grief. They also talk about the importance of play as adults. You can book your stay at The Dreaming here: https://www.thedreaming.co.uk/Use Code "HAPPYPLACE" for 10% off a retreat. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Setting boundaries might feel uncomfortable and sound callous, but best-selling author Melissa Urban believes setting boundaries is one of the kindest things you can do in any relationship. In this chat with Fearne, Melissa explains how to start small when it comes to learning to set boundaries – casually saying ‘no’ to another glass of wine, for example – before moving on to setting boundaries with people in your life who might be seriously draining your energy. Plus, she tells Fearne why over-explaining often makes our lives more difficult. Melissa’s book, ‘The Book of Boundaries: Set the limits that will set you free’, is out now from Vermilion.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this special episode, Fearne chats to fellow podcaster and great friend Elizabeth Day about the episodes of both Happy Place and How To Fail that have changed their lives. Talking to Roman Kemp about mental health has made Fearne think about how she should chat to her own children about depression, and Elizabeth took a lot away from her episode on how to relieve your own suffering with Mo Gawdat. Having listened to a Happy Place episode with Rio and Kate Ferdinand, they both share their experiences of parenting step-children, as well as reflecting on episodes with Emily Ratajkowski, Phoebe-Waller Bridge, and Alexandra Burke. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are you conscious of fear and shame driving your behaviour? Cyclist Bradley Wiggins feels those emotions have dictated a lot of his decision making across his life. In this chat with Fearne, Bradley explains that putting all his energy into become a great cyclist was a distraction from childhood traumas. In order to cope with the aftermath of being groomed by a coach as a teenager, and having an absent father, he created a larger than life public-facing character. Now, he’s figuring out who he really is, and what he really cares about. Find out more about NSPCC’s Listen Up Speak Up campaign: https://www.nspcc.org.uk/support-us/listen-up-speak-up/ Join Team Mind for Ride London: https://www.mind.org.uk/get-involved/donate-or-fundraise/take-on-an-active-challenge/cycle-for-mind/2023-ridelondon-essex-100/?bs=1 Content warning: This episode contains frank chat about child abuse, so do take care while listening. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Spencer Matthews was 10 years old when his older brother Michael became the youngest Brit to reach the summit of Everest in 1999. On his descent, he encountered a number of unfortunate circumstances and was never seen again. Over two decades later, Spencer decided to retrace his brother’s steps in the hope of recovering his body, and in the process piece together an image of who his brother was. In this chat with Fearne, Spencer talks about the emotions that have surfaced for him as a result of this operation – thought to be the highest search and recovery mission in history. He also explores how he’s starting to understand how his alcoholism might have been linked to the feelings he hasn’t given voice to until now. Finding Michael is streaming now on Disney+. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

PTSD, social anxiety, insomnia, panic attacks, and imposter syndrome are just some of the things Ian Redpath and Jeremy Chopra have experienced between them. Known collectively as All On The Board, Ian and Jeremy are the TFL customer service assistants who write the supportive, fun, moving words on tube station boards and post them on social media. In this chat with Fearne, Ian and Jeremy discuss the importance of being kind to one another, and the power of feeling less alone when you’re going through a rough time. They also talk through some of the overwhelming experiences of working on the Underground that have particularly stuck with them over the years – for better or for worse. All On The Board: Your Daily Companion is out now: https://www.amazon.co.uk/All-Board-Companion-Inspiring-comforting/dp/1399705202/ref=asc_df_1399705202/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=570430330025&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=5476132799832649149&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9045987&hvtargid=pla-1643506561360&psc=1&th=1&psc=1 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How often do you cultivate quiet moments that are just for you? Best-selling author Katherine May believes being alone doesn’t necessarily mean feeling lonely. In this chat, Fearne and Katherine talk about how nature retreats and blooms across the seasons, and why it might be helpful for us to think of each of our own years in a similar way. Plus, they chat about why we find it harder to be wrong than we used to; how can we better cultivate community in order to keep being curious about different experiences and opinions? Katherine also talks about learning she’s autistic later in life. Katherine’s latest book, Enchantment, is out March 9th: https://linktr.ee/enchantmentbook   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For author Taylor Jenkins Reid, fame is a brilliant lens through which to examine societal expectations of women. The female celebrities in her glamourous novels all navigate the restrictions put on their behaviour in very different ways, in turn mirroring how all women – famous or not – might feel compelled to act. In this chat, Fearne and Taylor share how much of their own self-worth is wrapped up in their perception of what they’ve achieved, across both a day and an entire lifetime. Plus, Taylor explains why we don’t necessarily know who we are until we give a lot of activities and jobs a try, and why pure, unadulterated joy is just as good a reason as any to do something. Daisy Jones and The Six is available to stream on Amazon Prime from 3rd March.Carrie Soto is Back is out now in hardback:https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/441945/carrie-soto-is-back-by-reid-taylor-jenkins/9781529152128  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Women are often made to look after the emotional needs of their families, while simultaneously denying their own. Gabor Maté – who has decades of experience as a doctor working with mental illness, trauma, and addiction – says that’s having a very real physical effect on our bodies by way of autoimmune diseases.In this chat, Fearne and Gabor discuss the relationship between mental stress and physical outcomes, as well as the way in which the political systems we live in are having a huge impact on our personal mental health.The Myth Of Normal, the book that Gabor has written with his son Daniel, is available to buy now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We need to be intentional about finding, and keeping, love in our lives. #1 Sunday Times bestselling author, award-winning podcast host of On Purpose and Chief Purpose Officer of Calm Jay Shetty thinks the purpose of life is to understand how to love ourselves, each other, and the world. In this chat with Fearne, Jay talks about why he’s fascinated by the place where ancient wisdom meets modern science; it’s at this intersection that he believes the rules of love lie. They also talk about why we might have to put ourselves in uncomfortable situations in order to find the greatest self-love – we have to recognise the tough things we’ve experienced in order to find confidence and pride. Jay's second book, ‘8 Rules of Love’ is available to buy at 8RulesofLove.com and wherever books are sold. To catch Jay on his first ever world tour 'Love Rules', in Glasgow, Salford, Birmingham and London from May 19-24, go to JayShettyTour.com for tickets and VIP Packages.  Follow Jay on Instagram and subscribe to his podcast On Purpose.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Music can change your state of mind. Shania Twain, the best selling female artist in country music history, has been using songwriting as therapy as she works through a difficult period in her life.In this chat with Fearne, Shania explains how the repetition of words in the songs she writes can act like therapeutic mantras, both evoking and releasing emotions. Shania also talks about being resilient, and the relationship she’s had with fear and optimism across a tumultuous life. Plus, she shares her feelings about her changing body over time.Shania’s new album, Queen of Me, is out now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Does music have the power to emotionally transport you? It certainly does for actress Joanna Lumley and composer Stephen Barlow. Married for nearly 40 years, they share a huge passion for classical music in particular. In this chat with Fearne, Joanna and Stephen explain how music and performing are threads that have always woven their lives together, as well as wondering that sometimes external noise and chatter has to be quietened in order for us to be creative. Joanna & The Maestro is available to listen to on all podcast platforms.Listen on Apple Podcasts here: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/joanna-lumley-the-maestro/id1663272172 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How does sexual harassment – both online and in real life – affect a person’s sense of self worth? This is one of the many questions actor and comedian Emily Atack has been asking herself and others in her new documentary, and as she campaigns for parliament to change the law around cyberflashing. In this chat, Emily and Fearne share their experiences of everything from catcalling and being sent unsolicited photos online, to the way the world has made them feel about their own bodies. Plus, they try to unravel why it is that society struggles to allow women to be sexy and smart at the same time. Emily Atack: Asking For It? will air on BBC Two and iPlayer at 9pm on Tuesday 31st January. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s important to let the down days happen, to acknowledge them as part of the human experience rather than trying to fight them. Clinical psychologist and online educator Dr Julie believes the goal of therapy shouldn’t be to make ourselves be constantly happy all the time. In this chat, Fearne and Dr Julie explore why anxieties and fears can sometimes serve us, and why it’s healthy to allow space in our lives for all emotions to come and go. Dr Julie also talks through some of the tools we can all try to use when we’re in distress that – if practiced regularly – could have a real impact on our mental health. Dr Julie’s book, Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before?, is out now. You can follow Dr Julie on Tik Tok: www.tiktok.com/@drjuliesmith Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.