Happy Place

There’s bravery in wanting to connect with people in a truly authentic way. Musician Johnny Marr has found that across his career the songs people resonate with most are his most vulnerable, autobiographical tracks. Outside of music, there are lessons to be learnt there about how we might all best connect with each other.In this chat with Fearne, Johnny explains why it’s more valuable to be an expert than be famous, and why his best creative work often comes in the moments he’s not putting any pressure on himself to write a masterpiece.Johnny’s new double album ‘Fever Dreams Pts 1-4’ is out on February 25th, and he'll tour UK arenas with Blondie beginning in April 2022.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

What would you try if you didn’t have to do it perfectly? Best-selling author, and the ‘High Priestess of creativity’ Julia Cameron feels perfectionism is a stalling device. When we deny ourselves the right to attempt something, we in turn deny ourselves pleasure and joy.In this chat with Fearne, Julia explains why jealousy tells you what you really want and care about, and how this can be positively harnessed to shape your future. Plus she talks through non-religious prayer, and how getting in touch with a benevolent higher power – you might call this God, the universe, or something else – can help focus your creative mind.Julia’s new book, Seeking Wisdom: A Spiritual Path to Creative Connection, is out now. 2022 marks the 30th anniversary of the publication of her classic The Artist’s Way, which is published by Souvenir Press in the UK.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It’s often the case that fear is running the show. Dr Pippa Grange says it’s not always obvious that you’re afraid – you might be more familiar with the kind of fear you feel in the moment, like taking a driving test or giving a presentation – but it can in fact sneakily manifest as the chronic fear of not being good enough, and of being rejected.In this chat with Fearne, psychologist Pippa explains why you have to fail before you succeed. As the woman who supported the England football team during the 2018 World Cup, she explains when it’s important to set performance based goals, and when to let go of thinking you can control the outcome.Pippa’s book, Fear Less, is out now.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Do you find fitness and keeping your body healthy fun? Twins Dave and Steve Flynn – perhaps better known as The Happy Pear – love keeping fit in a way that feels like play. They listen to their bodies; they move intuitively. Sometimes that means handstands, sometimes it means yoga, and a lot of the time it means a cold morning swim in the Irish Sea.In this chat with Fearne, Dave and Steve explain why they feel community is the antithesis of loneliness, as all human beings ultimately have the same needs: to be accepted, seen, and loved. Plus, as fellow vegans, the three discuss getting more vegetables into your diet when you’re time poor.The Happy Pear’s latest book, The Veg Box, is available to pre-order now.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Audiobook exclusive: Bigger Than Us.Calm anxiety through connection. Find happiness through purpose. Feel comfort in the universal. Think bigger to unlock you.In her new book, Bigger Than Us, Fearne Cotton seeks out the insight and advice of wise minds to explore what they can teach us to achieve happiness, connection and hope. Here, Fearne exclusively shares the introduction and first chapter of the book with Happy Place listeners.Bigger Than Us is available as a hardback, an ebook, and an audiobook from the 20th of January: https://smarturl.it/biggerthanusbookYou can get your audiobook version on Audible, Apple Books, and Google Play.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It’s important to take time to figure out how to trust your own opinions of yourself rather than believing other peoples’ opinions of you. This is something author Freya North has been meditating on recently.In this chat, she and Fearne talk about how many of us are used to functioning at an extremely high level of stress without realising we’re pushing ourselves to breaking point, and Freya explains why she now gives as much attention to her emotional self as her physical self.Freya’s 15th novel, Little Wing, is published on 20th January by Welbeck, and is available in hardback or ebook.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

You shouldn’t always believe your thoughts. Psychotherapist and meditation teacher Tara Brach feels freedom comes from understanding that you are not your thoughts; they’re real, but they’re not necessarily true. In this chat with Fearne, Tara explains how to challenge what you think your mind is telling you, especially about yourself. Plus, they discuss how gratitude and compassion towards others can alleviate suffering.Trusting the Gold is Tara’s new book, and it’s available now in hardback.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Are you conscious of where the pressures you feel are coming from? Are they external or internal? Diver Tom Daley has been meditating on these different types of pressures recently, so in this chat he and Fearne discuss the power of validating ourselves rather than waiting for others to tell us we’re doing well. Plus, he explains the process he and husband Lance had to go through to adopt as a same sex couple, and how having a son has changed his view on chasing perfection.Tom’s book is called Coming Up For Air, and it’s out now.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this special episode, Fearne is joined by Jake Humphrey and Damian Hughes from The High Performance Podcast. They all share their favourite moments from Happy Place and High Performance in 2021, and discuss the impact those chats had on them, as well as reflecting on what their guests have taught them this year.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Reflecting on experiences from childhood can help us understand who we are today. Radio 1 presenter Matt Edmondson has been learning music production – an entirely new skill for him – and has been using it to explore feelings about his past.In this chat with Fearne, he opens up about being diagnosed with cyclothymia and how this new knowledge of his moods has changed his life for the better, and how he’s learnt to control his flow states, rather than them controlling him.Matt’s podcast, Not Another Love Song, is available to listen to on all podcast platforms.CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains frank conversation about suicide and alcoholism, so do take care while listening.Click here to book your ticket for Fearne's book launch event at Cadogan Hall: https://cadoganhall.com/whats-on/fearne-cotton-bigger-than-us-book-launch/  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Treating our soil differently could have a knock on effect on our physical and mental health, as well as the health of the environment. As one half of Groove Armada, Andy Cato travelled the world playing music, but for the last 15 years his MO has been revolutionising the way we grow food. In this chat with Fearne, he talks about the importance of re-connecting with nature and how we can all positively impact the planet via the food we eat. Discover more about Andy’s work at Wildfarmed: https://wildfarmed.co.uk/ and watch their short 7-minute film: "A Story About Bread" Click here to book your ticket for Fearne's book launch event at Cadogan Hall: https://cadoganhall.com/whats-on/fearne-cotton-bigger-than-us-book-launch/  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

There’s never going to be anything comfortable about facilitating change, but if we deeply care about a cause we should do it nonetheless. As well as entertaining the nation on TV, Jamie Oliver has spent decades learning about, and fighting for, healthier food policies. In this chat, Fearne and Jamie explore how failure can ignite more fire in your belly, and why a little optimistic naivety might initiate more ground-breaking change than a measured approach.Jamie’s new recipe book is called Together: Memorable Meals Made Easy, and is available to buy now.Click here to book your ticket for Fearne's book launch event at Cadogan Hall: https://cadoganhall.com/whats-on/fearne-cotton-bigger-than-us-book-launch/  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

How good are you at getting quiet and sitting with yourself? Jazz singer Gregory Porter feels that this is the place your most authentic, distinctive creativity will come from.In this chat with Fearne, Gregory explains why you don’t need to be an overnight success. It’s ok to take your time, indeed you’ll benefit from taking that time to learn, and hone your craft. He also talks through the false starts his career has seen, and why it was his vivacious mother who encouraged him to keep persevering.Gregory’s new album, Still Rising, is out now, and he’ll be on tour in the UK in May 2022.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It’s much more productive – and will ultimately make you happier – to strive for excellence rather than perfection. A research professor at the University of Houston, Brené Brown has spent 20 years studying courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy. She’s clear that perfectionism is actually a defence mechanism to shield us from failure and shame. In this chat with Fearne, Brené explains the difference between guilt and shame, as the former can be helpful in some situations, whereas the latter can be debilitating and define entire lifetimes. Plus, they explore why humility and self-compassion are needed for us to admit when we’re wrong. Brene is a prolific writer; her latest book, Atlas of The Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connections and the Language of Human Experience, is out on November 30th.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Although she keeps much of her life private, Leona Lewis has recently felt a real need to speak up. In this chat with Fearne, she talks through why she’s so passionate about issues including racism and animal welfare, as well as explaining where her impressive work ethic comes from. Leona is the UK’s Queen of Christmas; she’s all for embracing the magic the festive period brings because it’s so important for her to spend quality time with family. ‘Christmas, With Love Always’, a special repack of Leona’s 2013 festive album ‘Christmas, With Love’, is out now. Leona is also on a UK tour with Gary Barlow throughout November and December 2021.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We are not living at a natural pace. The modern world forces us to move through life incredibly quickly; Shaman Jo Bowlby helps people slow down and embrace stillness. In this chat with Fearne, Jo explains why we should be pursuing wisdom rather than just intellect, why quieting our analytical mind can help us get back in touch with our human essence, and how to rid ourselves of self-limiting beliefs. A Book For Life: 10 Steps to Spiritual Wisdom, a Clear Mind and Lasting Happiness is out now.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It’s never too late to make a change; Annie Mac has left Radio 1 after 17 years of broadcasting and is ready to embrace parts of her identity she hasn’t had time to explore until now. In this chat with Fearne, Annie talks about feeling that we need to allow people to be more than one thing - that we need to embrace the sunshine and joy, but the darkness and sadness too. Fearne and Annie also think about the notion of having endless space out in front of you and why, although scary, it might be positive to allow time to exist without plans. Annie’s debut novel, Mother Mother, is out now, and her podcast Changes is available to listen to on your favourite podcast app.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

You’ve achieved the goals you set yourself for your career and personal life; what’s next? That’s the question Holly Willoughby has found herself asking recently.When you’re used to excellence and achievement, how do you break the loop of constantly living in the future, looking ahead instead of existing in the present and thinking about what will bring joy right now? In this chat with Fearne, Holly explores her experience of detaching from herself in order to feel safe, and how she’s discovered ways to come back to herself.Reflections: Life Lessons on Finding Beauty – Inside and Out untangles topical and emotional issues and explores what it means to live a beautiful life in the modern world. The book is published by Century and out now: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/1445093/reflections/9781529135718.html  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It can at times feel like the cycle of negative news is endless, and living in fear can be debilitating, but ethologist and conservationist Dr Jane Goodall, Founder of the Jane Goodall Institute, is able to turn despair into hope. In this chat, she and Fearne talk about why we might want to be in nature to heal when feeling low, and where science and spirituality can interact. The Book of Hope: A Survival Guide For an Endangered Planet is Jane’s new book, and it’s out now.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A person’s identity is not up for debate; drag queen Bimini Bon Boulash is on a mission to ensure everyone feels safe to express who they are without fear. In this chat, Fearne and Bimini explore how everyone can question and choose to reject societal rules that they don’t personally resonate with, as well as how to better understand and support others as they do the same.A sense of belonging can directly impact mental health, so they also discuss the benefits of social media in finding a community of likeminded people, and what we can learn about unleashing our inner confidence from drag queens.Bimini’s book is called Release the Beast: A Drag Queen’s Guide to Life, and it’s out now.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.