Louis de Bernières, the bestselling author of Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, struggled with the fame that came with the success of the book. He found the attention crippling and it was 10 years before he could write for enjoyment again. Louis also talks about his anger issues triggered by a custody battle to see his children. […]
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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
Captain Corelli fame crippled me, Louis de Bernières
Make sure your own cup is full, Liana Cornell
Actress and filmmaker Liana Cornell was drawn to environmental issues from an early age, helped by her unconventional upbringing as the child of filmmakers. She wanted to use her platform as an actress to shine a spotlight on environmental organisations whose work might not have been known. But the work left her drained and burned […]
Taking the Weight Off Your Back, Danny
Danny started counselling when he began to experience bullying during the transition to secondary school. He was experiencing anxiety attacks and his school work was suffering. His parents suggested that he talk to a therapist. Danny has found his counselling helpful because he says it offers him small things that he remembers to do every […]
Going Mental: The First Aid Pioneer, Hazel Sawyers
Mental Health First Aid Instructor ‘Are you suicidal?’ is a fine question to ask, says Hazel Sawyers. Because ‘most of us back away and don’t know what to do.’ Energizing, humorous, and an incredible listener, Sawyers has been teaching Mental Health First Aid for over twenty years. ‘Wouldn’t it make sense if just as when […]
Inspiration from our Blog
‘Power Break’ breathwork practice
Feed your mind
Mindfulness and breathwork expert Melike Hussein has created a 1 Minute Grounding Breathwork exercise that you can use when you feel stressed, experience anxiety or just find it difficult to switch off your busy mind. Consider it a ‘Power Break’, says Melike, who is a qualified nurse who credits the science-backed therapeutic benefits […]
Why age matters for inclusion
Feed your mind
When we talk about diversity in the workplace, why is nobody talking about ageism, asks inclusion expert Henry Rose Lee. She says that workplaces are missing an opportunity to benefit if they aren’t working towards including older and younger people. “Encourage multi-generational teams,” she suggests. “Force the issue with shadow boards, innovation hubs, […]
What is women’s health?
Award-winning mental health consultant Amy McKeown wants us to understand women’s health and mental health better – and it’s not just about the menopause. “Women are more likely to suffer from chronic conditions than men, and women suffer from higher rates of depression and anxiety,” she says. “And in some conditions such as […]
The power of poetry
Uncategorized
Author and Head Talks ambassador Rachel Kelly suggests we consider poetry as part of our mental health toolkit. Poetry began to speak to her in the darkness of a spell in hospital during a crisis, starting with the work of George Herbert. His description of what it’s like to feel depressed as “guilty […]
Slow down to speed up
Uncategorized
Business strategist and coach Simon Alexander Ong has recorded an exclusive masterclass for Head Talks where he teaches us how to maximise our own energy, to help drive our potential. As we reflect on the end of the year, Simon’s words ’slow down to speed up’ seem appropriate. He tells us that “silence […]
Tapping practice for calm
Uncategorized
After a period of emotional difficulties when she had young children, Julia Adams searched for an alternative to medication and discovered EFT (tapping). It worked so well at bringing about calm – for her and her children – that she decided to train as a practitioner. “I’m far more resourced now to deal […]
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
Blue Therapy, Keri-Anne Payne
Keri-Anne Payne is a triple Olympian and world champion open water swimmer. She also now teaches others the best and safest way to enjoy the open water — and cold water in particular. She’s working with Chill UK to teach stressed NHS staff about the benefits of the water. Keri-Anne teaches them how to control […]
The electricity of the mind, Dr Rahul Jandial
In his book, ‘Life Lessons from a Brain Surgeon’, Dr Rahul Jandial uses what he has seen from years of operating on brains in trauma to tell the rest of us how best to keep our brains healthy. While the brain is an extremely complex and fascinating organ, there are simple things we can do […]
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 […]
