Journalist Rachel Kelly was working in a stressful job when she had her first serious attack of anxiety and depression which put her in hospital; later, her second episode lasted for two years. Rachel found that her love of words and poetry helped her recovery. She built up from reciting one line at a time […]
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Head Talks aims to inform, inspire and engage those interested in mental health and wellbeing.
Find people speaking from the heart and from their own experience, as well as a wide range of experts and healers sharing their tips and insights to help us work towards better mental health and wellbeing.
Inspiring Head Talks
My strength is made perfect in weakness, Rachel Kelly
Own your breath, own your peace, Leon Taylor
Three-time Olympic diver and silver medallist Leon Taylor trained hard for his success but his body paid the price. ‘If you were a horse,’ he was told when he retired from the sport, ‘we’d have to shoot you.’ As with many athletes, it took him a while to recover both physically and mentally from the […]
You can do hard things, Adrienne Herbert
Adrienne Herbert was a professional dancer with much to look forward to — a new husband and a new baby — when her husband’s sudden illness turned their lives upside down. Adrienne took up running as a way to get out of the door and get her energy back. She now runs road races and […]
Being Friends with Your Own Mind, Matthieu Ricard
Buddhist Monk Matthieu Ricard is a French writer, photographer and Buddhist monk. His life is divided between the seclusion of a hermitage in the Himalayas and the whirlwind of modern life. Matthieu says that our state of mind can override our circumstances, whether good or bad. He says that our mind can be our best […]
#coronatalks
Calming breath practice
Struggle & success
We are delighted to share a calming breath practice from our friends at Breathwrk. The full practice takes about 3 minutes. This is one of a number of Breathwrk practices we will be sharing through this month – let us know how you get on using #breathwrkit! You can download the app here.
Learn to listen properly
Struggle & success
Relationships have been put under huge pressure during the pandemic. Family and work situations are different, and many couples are together full-time at home. Stress counsellor Carole Spiers recommends we create time and space for proper communication, making your partner feel valued and worthwhile, and be aware of your body language to show […]
Live performance from Simon Webbe
During lockdown, singer and songwriter Simon Webbe answered a couple of questions about his mental health from the Head Talks community, put to him by his wife Ayshen. He then performed one of his hits, Coming Around Again, recorded just for us.
Intervene in an emotional challenge
Struggle & success
Jo Cruickshanks from The Breathery shares a short and dynamic version of a transformational breathing practice for people who are ready to step into their power and show up as more inspired, visionary leaders. “You can use this practice to intervene before things get too much. It doesn’t take a long time to […]
Respectful reintegration into society
Struggle & success
As we start to reintegrate into society, we need to be mindful and compassionate that many people will be anxious, says Charlotte Armitage, Psychotherapist, Outsourced Psych. We need to manage our expectations: society will change, including our behaviour around other people, and there will need to be an adjustment. People might have changed […]
Love in a time of coronavirus
Struggle & success
Author and love coach Persia Lawson gives us some tips about how to navigate our love lives while the real world is in a sense of flux. She suggests virtual dates, setting parameters, and ask deeper questions. “We need to stop looking outside ourselves for the partner we want to get. Instead, look […]
MASTERCLASSES and Workshops
Dive even deeper into the world of mental health and wellbeing by signing up to our Masterclasses and Digital Workshops. Delivered by today’s leading voices, HeadTalks’ Masterclasses will give you exclusive access to insight, exercises and lifestyle tips – taking you deeper into the beautiful realm of what it means to be human.
Building Resilience To Deal With Hard Times
A toolkit for accessing our natural resources
see online workshop
Dr Rangan Chatterjee,
Pioneer of Progressive Medicine
New Medicine
see video and read more
Elif Shafak,
Famous Turkish author
On discovering the power of the written word.
see video and read more
Podcast highlights
Hijacking your mind, Jada Sezer
Jada Sezer says the lockdown has meant a rollercoaster of emotions to her, a process of grieving for our past life and its routines. The model and campaigner said: “Every week is different. I might start the week happy and end the week collapsed on the sofa. There’s a heaviness in the world. Some days […]
Dream Yourself Better, Charlie Morley
Lucid dreaming is a state where you’re asleep, but aware that you’re dreaming. Charlie Morley says that almost anyone can learn how to do it. He’s a teacher of lucid dreaming and a student of Buddhism. Charlie says that not only is lucid dreaming fun — like a virtual reality simulation — but it has […]
A Bridge to the Future, Jonny Benjamin MBE
Mental Health Campaigner Ten years ago, Jonny Benjamin was at a low point. He was talked out of a suicide attempt on Waterloo Bridge. His quest to find the man who rescued him, Neil Laybourn, became famous. Jonny’s now written a book about his story, his illness and his progress towards recovery. Jonny talks to […]
The Proven Power of Being Kind, Dr. Kristin Neff
The Self-Compassion Pioneer Having compassion for oneself is really no different than having compassion for others, says Dr. Kristin Neff. Yet we turn out not to be very good at the first. Neff, a leading expert on self-compassion, is an associate professor at the University of Texas in Austin. She is a professor, bestselling author […]
