Happy Place

Are you ok? It’s a question that’s often worth repeating with the people we love. Capital Breakfast Show host Roman Kemp lost his best friend and radio producer to suicide in 2020, and is now more adamant than ever that we must keep asking our friends and family if they’re really ok.In this chat with Fearne, Roman explains why he feels it’s important to share both his ongoing grief, and stories of his own mental health with the nation each day. They also talk about why it’s important to be bold about using the word suicide; in naming it, we’re more able to do something about it.Roman’s book, Are You Really Ok? is out now.CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains frank chat about suicide throughout, so do take care while listening.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We don’t just feel grief after a bereavement, we can feel it as a result of many different types of loss: loss of health, loss of a childhood, loss of the creative part of yourself. Coach and therapist Donna Lancaster explains why grief is valid in all these scenarios, and how to work through the heart break both mentally and physically.In this chat, Fearne and Donna explore how to be an emotional detective – how to be curious and search for the things in your past that have made you who you are – and how to recognise what your personal boundaries are.‘The Bridge: A nine step crossing into authentic and wholehearted living’ by Donna Lancaster is available now (Penguin Life, £16.99). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When others share their grief, it gives us permission to feel it ourselves. That’s what Richard E Grant has learnt over the last year as he’s shared every part of his own grieving process online. His wife Joan died in 2021, but before she did she told Richard he must try to find a ‘pocketful of happiness’ in each day. In this chat with Fearne, he explains why being given permission to be happy was so powerful. They also talk about how to set boundaries with family members, especially during difficult times, and how a trauma can show who your friends really are. Richard’s memoir, A Pocketful of Happiness, is out now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s been an incredible few months for sport, and broadcaster Gabby Logan has been at the heart of it, reporting as the Lionesses made history. In this chat with Fearne, she talks about how we now need to capitalise on successes like these for the future of women in sport.Gabby also shares her experience of watching someone she loves go through addiction, the impact that having a devoted mentor has had on her career, and what intense breathwork has taught her about emotion.Gabby’s book, The First Half, is out on October 13th. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Unrelenting positivity isn’t always healthy. Over a career spanning decades, best-selling artist Craig David has learnt that sometimes it’s best to lean into pain in order to validate how you’re feeling. In this chat with Fearne, Craig explains why his desire to people please was ultimately hurting him, and explores the childhood experiences that led to an addiction to exercise.Craig’s book, published by Happy Place Books, is called What’s Your Vibe: Tuning Into Your Best Life, and it’s out on October 6th.His new album, 22, is out now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nerves and excitement are very closely related, but following a stratospheric rise to fame thanks to Eurovision, Sam Ryder makes a point to choose to feel the excitement. In this chat with Fearne, he reveals the truth about those glitzy afterparties and why he’d rather be at home playing with Lego... They also talk about how to understand what your purpose is, and why cool is the enemy. Sam’s album, ‘There’s Nothing But Space, Man!’ is out on November 18th, and you can get your tickets for his world tour here: https://www.sam-ryder.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How good are you at being alone, both with your thoughts, and physically in public places? Rylan says that last year was the first time he really had to confront his own mental health, but doing so has helped him appreciate the joy in spending time alone.In this chat with Fearne, Rylan talks about how he’s been able to manifest what he wanted his life to look like, and not seek permission from others when it comes to deciding what he can and can’t do. They also share experiences of whether they’ve personally found it more helpful to stop or continue working during difficult times.Rylan’s new book, TEN: The Decade That Changed My Future, is published by Seven Dials on the 29th September in Hardback, Audio and Ebook.You can join Rylan in his first exclusive event to celebrate the launch of TEN on the 21st September at Royal Festival Hall. Buy tickets here https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/literature-poetry/evening-rylan?eventId=907414 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How do you personally express love? Author, philanthropist, and award winning producer Olivia Harrison has a lifetime of memories with late husband George Harrison, the intricacies of which she felt compelled to write about in poetry.In this chat with Fearne, Olivia recounts stories from her life with George – including how important practices like meditation and gardening were to them – as well as talking about the undulating nature of grief.Olivia’s beautiful book of poetry, Came The Lightening, is out now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Addiction has dictated much of Matt Willis’ life, but the musician and actor has since learnt how to take responsibility for his actions and reactions. In this chat, Fearne and Matt explore the concept of shame, and how it can keep you suffering in silence, as well as why we need to be careful of celebrating addiction of any kind, even if it’s something society fundamentally values like work or exercise. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our body’s stress response is cleverly designed to keep us safe, but the trouble now is that it’s being triggered by every day life – emails, caring commitments, social media, loneliness. Dr Rangan Chatterjee explains what the stress response is, and how using your physically body can often be the best way to calm your mind. In this chat, Fearne and Rangan also talk in great detail about the importance of sleep, and how to trust your own feelings rather than always needing science to back up your lived experience.Rangan is the host of the Feel Better Live More podcast and author of 5 Sunday Times bestselling books including his latest Happy Mind Happy Life. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

DJ Fat Tony has spent time actively learning what love is after being in abusive relationships and being an addict. Having done trauma therapy, he’s not only begun to understand what healthy relationships with others look like, but also how it feels to love himself, to have self-worth and self-compassion, and not be forced into silence by shame.In this chat, Fearne and Tony talk about the power and freedom that comes with saying out loud that you need help, as well as how much of a challenge it is to unlearn and re-learn behaviours.Tony’s memoir, I Don’t Take Requests, is available now at all major book retailers.CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains frank chat about child abuse and suicide, so do take care while listening.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happens when busy people stop being busy? Like everyone else, singer songwriter Tom Walker was forced to pause during the pandemic, and he’s clear that it did affect both his songwriting and the pace he lives at day to day.In this chat with Fearne, Tom explains how despite the music industry wanting to measure success by numbers, he’s able to measure his success by his own inner satisfaction. They also talk about the emotional power of epic songs, how even if they weren’t written about whatever we’re personally going through, they can deeply resonate and be genuinely life changing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fail fast. That’s the advice entrepreneur Steven Bartlett has for those who ultimately want to be successful, because the biggest risk isn’t failing, it’s procrastinating. In this chat with Fearne, Steven talks about how he’s seen first hand the damage being paralysed by decision making can do both in business and on a personal level.They also chat about why you’re already enough, that no matter what outward markers of success you achieve your fundamental value won’t change. That, Steven says, should be liberating. It doesn’t mean you can’t be ambitious for your future, but it means you’ll choose to be ambitious about things you care about, not what you think will impress others. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Time, money, and attention turned out to be a difficult combination for Jordan Stephens to cope with at the height of his Rizzle Kicks fame. In this chat with Fearne, Jordan opens up about his social anxiety, body dysmorphia, and the way he used to self-medicate ADHD. They also discuss when anger can be an incredibly useful emotion, and discover they have a shared core fear of getting things wrong.Jordan’s children’s book, The Missing Piece, is out on August 18th. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This episode of Happy Place is made in partnership with The National Lottery.We’re in the midst of The Commonwealth Games, and thanks to National Lottery Players over £40million has been raised to support the Games. To mark the event, The National Lottery have launched a campaign celebrating some of the incredible athletes, including wheelchair racer Melanie Woods.In this chat with Fearne, Melanie talks about how her own journey coming to terms with being disabled has encouraged her to see the excitement in trying new things. Getting started, she says, is often the hardest part, but there are always opportunities to gain new skills and confidence. They also chat about how to deal with pressure, especially when doubts creep in, and why it’s so important to lean in to hard work and persistence. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Your spirit is fully equipped to take care of you. Your brain and your body might struggle but spiritual teacher and intuitive guide Sonia Choquette is clear that your sixth sense – your spirit, your intuition – can take care of you no matter what.In this chat with Fearne, Sonia explains how to tune into and trust your intuition, which will in turn open you up to a more fun, loving, and spontaneous life. Fearne and Sonia both share experiences of feeling a physical urge to trust their gut, even though they weren’t entirely sure why, and their guts were giving them a feeling for very good reasons...A new, revised version of Sonia’s book, Trust Your Vibes, is out now, and you can join her Good Vibe Tribe here: https://soniachoquette.net/join-our-tribe/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Constantly being subjected to micro-aggressions can feel like death by a thousand paper cuts; Samantha Renke is an actor, broadcaster, writer, and disability rights campaigner who has the confidence to call out ableism.In this chat, Fearne and Samantha explore where her innate sense of self-worth comes from, how we can all learn to become more confident, and how we can’t talk about an individual’s mental health without also talking about politics and systemic issues. They also cover risk-taking, cats, and nipple hair...Samantha’s book, You Are The Best Thing Since Sliced Bread, is published by Happy Place Books, part of Ebury, and is out on July 21st. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Patience is a bit of a lost art, but it’s something that ‘Bird Girl’ Mya-Rose Craig is well practiced in. Mya-Rose is an ornithologist, an environmentalist, a diversity activist as well as a writer, speaker and broadcaster. Having been a twitcher – someone who travels to specific locations to spot birds – since she was days old, she revels in patiently waiting to see the next beautiful bird on her list.In this chat, Fearne and Mya-Rose talk about the connection between nature and mental health, as well as how activities that get you outside are vital in making and maintaining relationships with loved ones through sharing a lived experience rather than a digital one.Mya-Rose’s book, Bird Girl, is out now. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Olympian Dame Kelly Holmes recently announced publicly that she is gay. Although she’s acknowledged this truth privately for a number of decades, it’s only now that she’s felt able to begin living publicly her authentic self. Having served in the British military at a time when homosexuality was banned, Kelly had always feared serious repercussions, which only intensified when she became a celebrated world class athlete.In this chat with Fearne, Kelly talks through the painful – and hopeful – journey that’s brought her to a place where she feels confident to live entirely authentically, as well as delving into the mental, emotional, and physical stress of hiding such a huge part of her identity for so long.Kelly Holmes: Being Me is available to watch back on ITV Hub.CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains frank chat about self harm, so take care while listening. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

If you tend to doubt yourself, do you know why? Psychotherapist, best-selling author, and former NHS lead for Mental Health Owen O’Kane has spent a lifetime unpicking his own past as a gay Irish Catholic child who was bullied and surrounded by bombs and bullets in the hope of understanding where his fear and shame in adulthood came from.In this chat, he and Fearne talk about why therapy isn’t just about talking – that’s just one part – it’s actually about so much more, like who you surround yourself with, how you set boundaries, and the types of choices you make. Owen also explores what he’s learnt about living a full life from working with people who are dying in palliative care.Owen’s new book, How To Be Your Own Therapist, is out now. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.