By Natasha Whelehan
I love a good podcast! My husband had been telling me for years I needed to start listening to them but it was only last year that I took his advice and you know what, he was right (don’t tell him I said that!) – I do love them.
Last weekend at WellFest, I attended a Fearne Cotton talk and she mentioned her podcast Happy Place. So I thought I’d check it out. And it’s great! The podcast includes frank and open discussions where both Fearne and her guests draw on their experiences and offer advice on how to work through feelings of anxiety, depression, addiction etc and find the joy in every day.
So far, I’ve particularly enjoyed the talks with Matt Haig (author) and Kris Hallenga (founder of charity CoppaFeel in the UK).
Author Matt Haig discusses his experience of panic attacks, anxiety and depression, and his road to recovery and acceptance. It was a really frank and open discussion and as someone who has experienced anxiety personally, it really resonated. As soon as the podcast ended I downloaded his book, Reasons to Stay Alive, and am looking forward to listening to it.
Kris Hallenga was just 23 when diagnosed with breast cancer, and shortly afterwards was told it had metastasized. That was 10 years ago. Since then she has founded charity CoppaFeel in the UK which aims to educate and raise awareness around the importance of younger woman conducting regular breast checks. This was an inspiring listen. Kris is honest and open about her journey, and how she has learned to live with the challenges of her diagnoses, both mental and physical, and about how she now focuses on the present and has learned to live as wholeheartedly as possible.
For Game of Thrones fans, there was a great talk with Lena Heady (aka Cersei Lannister). I also really enjoyed listening to Fearne chat to Russell Brand.
If you’re a fan of podcasts and looking for something new, or just thinking of checking them out for the first time, then I’d definitely recommend Happy Place.
