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Being brave is beautiful, Petra Velzeboer
Petra Velzeboer was brought up in a cult, the Children of God. Lacking education but feeling that she was meant to save the world, she used alcohol and drugs to try to cope. Lonely after the birth of her children, she reached rock bottom but realised she had a choice. Petra chose to pursue happiness. […]
Honesty is addictive, Dizraeli (Rowan Sawday)
Rowan Sawday, who performs as Dizraeli, is a rapper, poet and musician. When he was so depressed that he couldn’t listen to music any more, he admitted that he needed help. With the aid of meditation, mindfulness and exercise, as well as therapy, he found his feet again. He says that as a culture, we […]
Badminton Blues, Gail Emms MBE
Badminton champion Gail Emms was at the top of her game when she started hating it. But she saw talking about that ‘as a weakness’. Coming from a sporty family, Emms had started playing badminton aged four. When the former badminton World Champion and Olympic silver medallist eventually retired in 2008, she spiralled into bouts […]
Deep Jungle Healing, Bruce Parry
Indigenous Peoples Explorer He lived with tribes in Africa, South-America, Greenland and the Himalayas. He has filmed himself taking hallucinogenic potions, which he credits with helping to heal his traumas. Bruce Parry, a former Royal Marines Officer and award-winning documentary maker, says there’s something about the connectedness of indigenous people that nourishes mental health far better […]
Podcast highlights
The Breath of Life, Max Strom
As a yoga teacher, Max Strom saw the powerful effects that really using our breath can have. He’s now teaching the benefits to others, including doctors. Breathwork, he says, can release long-held emotions such as fear and grief. The way we breathe is connected to how we communicate and what we feel. In an age […]
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 Search For Meaningful Connections, Johann Hari
The author and journalist Johann Hari was first diagnosed with depression as a teenager. In his new book, Lost Connections, he investigates broader approaches to mental health that go beyond medication. He argues that creating more meaningful connections with society and with nature, and having more control over our work and our lives, can provide […]
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 […]
Headtalks blog
A story of self-harm
by Jean Howell I didn’t feel ready to grow up and leave school at 16 and was too embarrassed to talk about it with anyone. In my family we didn’t share our problems. I ended up taking on my Saturday job in retail – a job I didn’t like – full-time because I didn’t know […]
New Year, new challenge!
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Ever thought about doing a challenge to fundraise for your favourite mental health charity? Hugo Chittenden is doing just that for Young Minds by going to Everest base camp with Charity Challenge. Hugo says: ‘It’s a great way to keep the mind focused, challenge yourself and gain confidence while supporting a great cause.” Young Minds (one of our partners) […]
Be whomever you want to be
In this vlog, Linda Mbagwu talks about the challenges she has had with depression and anxiety, which spurred her into finding out more about how trauma in the past can affect our present. “While it was the worst period of my life, it has turned out to be the best thing to happen […]