A Need To Read

This week I chat with Alex Holmes; writer, podcaster, existential mental health coach and author. We talk about; transition periods, existentialism, French philosophers, the importance of talking, how philosophy and mental health combine, social media, the lack of connection in society, the limitations of CBT, and much more.

You can find all you need for Alex on his blog www.alexholmes.co 

Support

The best way you can support me and help me spread the word is by sharing the podcast with someone. If you like the podcast please share as far and wide as you can. You can also use the links to my sponsors, it helps keep stuff going whilst also giving you handy discounts from great companies I know and love.

For 10% off your first month of therapy head to www.betterhelp.com/aneedtoread 

For 10% off your Heights Braincare Supplement subscription head to https://www.yourheights.com/products/the-smart-supplement/?ref=edcunningham 

Protect your data, access other Netflix libraries and get a 30-day money back guarantee with Express VPN www.expressvpn.com/aneedtoread 

For Everything else head to www.Linktree.com/aneedtoread 

This is a book review episode of Henepola Gunaratana's 'MIndfulness In Plain English'. This is the second time I've read the book and I got so much more from it this time, if you're interested in meditation then this book will be so good for you. I feel quite inspired by it! I chat about my experiences with mediation, my opinions on it and it's various methods and explain some of the principles from Buddhism that inspire vipassana meditation. 

HOPE YOU LIKE IT! x

To buy your copy of Mindfulness In Plain English head to this link

For a free trial of headspace head to www.headspace.com/needtoread 

Sam Harris' Meditation app is available on his website https://wakingup.com/ 

Support

The best way you can support me and help me spread the word is by sharing the podcast with someone. If you like the podcast please share as far and wide as you can. You can also use the links to my sponsors, it helps keep stuff going whilst also giving you handy discounts from great companies I know and love.

For 10% off your first month of therapy head to www.betterhelp.com/aneedtoread 

For 10% off your Heights Braincare Supplement subscription head to https://www.yourheights.com/products/the-smart-supplement/?ref=edcunningham 

Protect your data, access other Netflix libraries, and get a 30-day money-back guarantee with Express VPN www.expressvpn.com/aneedtoread 

For Everything else head to www.Linktree.com/aneedtoread 

Yusef Smith is one-half of Propane Fitness, a former NHS doctor and life hack specialist. We chat about; Leaving his role as a Doctor in the NHS, if you should strive for happiness or satisfaction, my beef with crystals and affirmations, the ethics of online businesses, the ills of social media, meditation, screen time, Jiu-jitsu, personal finance 101, the end of my consumerism, self-awareness and many tangents. 

Find Yusef on Instagram @propanefitness 

Propane Fitness website: https://propanefitness.com/ 

Books discussed

The Way of the Superior Man by David Deida 

The Sweet Spot by Paul Bloom

Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman

Prisoners of Geography by Tim Marshall 

Mindfulness In Plain English by Henepola Gunaratana

Deep Work by Cal Newport

Make Time by John Zaretsky and Jake Knapp

The Psychology Money by Morgan Housel

Mindset by Carol Dweck

Support

The best way you can support me and help me spread the word is by sharing the podcast with someone. If you like the podcast please share as far and wide as you can. You can also use the links to my sponsors, it helps keep stuff going whilst also giving you handy discounts from great companies I know and love.

For 10% off your first month of therapy head to www.betterhelp.com/aneedtoread 

For 10% off your Heights Braincare Supplement subscription head to https://www.yourheights.com/products/the-smart-supplement/?ref=edcunningham 

Protect your data, access other Netflix libraries, and get a 30-day money-back guarantee with Express VPN www.expressvpn.com/aneedtoread 

For Everything else head to www.Linktree.com/aneedtoread 

Tessa Dunlop is a presenter, best selling author and she has a doctorate in History. She joins me to chat about her new book ‘Army Girls’, a book that tells the stories of 17 women who served in WW2. Throughout the pandemic, Tessa made friends with and interviewed these women to shine a light on the forgotten involvement of women, who were just girls at the time, in the war. 

We answer the questions of; what the conscription of women actually means,  whether or not it ‘offensive’ that women couldn’t fire weapons in the war, how many women really contributed to Britain's war efforts, and much more. 

I loved chatting with Tessa about a topic I was truly ignorant of before reading her book. You can find all you need for Tessa here: http://tessadunlop.com/ 

Support

The best way you can support me and help me spread the word is by sharing the podcast with someone. If you like the podcast please share as far and wide as you can. You can also use the links to my sponsors, it helps keep stuff going whilst also giving you handy discounts from great companies I know and love.

For 10% off your first month of therapy head to www.betterhelp.com/aneedtoread 

For 10% off your Heights Braincare Supplement subscription head to https://www.yourheights.com/products/the-smart-supplement/?ref=edcunningham 

Protect your data, access other Netflix libraries and get a 30-day money back guarantee with Express VPN https://www.xvinlink.com/?a_fid=Aneedtoread

For Everything else head to www.Linktree.com/aneedtoread 

This episode is a review of Prisoners of Geography by Tim Marshall, a book about the map of the world and how what lays within those borders dictates much more than you'd think.

I recommend everyone read this book at some point, you can buy it with free delivery here.

Support

The best way you can support me and help me spread the word is by sharing the podcast with someone. If you like the podcast please share as far and wide as you can. You can also use the links to my sponsors, it helps keep stuff going whilst also giving you handy discounts from great companies I know and love.

For 10% off your first month of therapy head to www.betterhelp.com/aneedtoread 

For 10% off your Heights Braincare Supplement subscription head to https://www.yourheights.com/products/the-smart-supplement/?ref=edcunningham 

Protect your data, access other Netflix libraries and get a 30-day money back guarantee with Express VPN https://www.xvinlink.com/?a_fid=Aneedtoread

For Everything else head to www.Linktree.com/aneedtoread 

Nir Eyal is the author of 2 New York Times Bestselling books; Hooked and Indistractable.  We discuss the main ideas from his book Indistractable and dive into; why to-do lists are getting in your way, how you can surf the urge of distraction, and Nir's top tips to organize your life so you never feel guilty for scrolling again. 

Indistractable bonus content and a link to Nir's blog is here: http://nirandfar.com/indistractable

Support 

For all things A Need To Read head to www.Linktree.com/aneedtoread 

For 10% off therapy with BetterHelp at www.betterhelp.com/aneedtoread 

To get your subscription to Heights Braincare supplement with 10% off use the code need2read at https://www.yourheights.com/products/the-smart-supplement/?ref=edcunningham  

In this episode is do an extended Q+A from Instagram. I answer questions about; Introversion/extraversion, narcissists, attachment styles, my time in the Royal Marines, What to do if you don’t like yourself, ghosting, books for break-ups, Psychadelics/weed and whether happiness is a reachable goal.

It’s worth noting anything I say about any form of drug must not be confused with me encouraging their use in your life. We all have different opinions on lots of topics and I do understand my views are quite liberal here.

Books recommended

Emotional Agility by Susan David

Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook by Kristin Neff

Daring Greatly by Brene Brown

Option B by Sheryl Sandberg 

The Subtle Art Of Not Giving A Fuck by Mark Manson

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

The Immortality Key by Brian Muraresku

Chasing The Scream by Johann Hari 

Content Recommendations 

Joe Rogan and Nick Bostrom podcast

Kristen Neff’s Ted Talk

Support 

For all things A Need To Read head to www.Linktree.com/aneedtoread 

For 10% off therapy with BetterHelp at www.betterhelp.com/aneedtoread 

To get your subscription to Heights Braincare supplement with 10% off use the code need2read at https://www.yourheights.com/products/the-smart-supplement/?ref=edcunningham