Esther Ghey's 16-year-old daughter Brianna was murdered in a park near their home in Warrington in February 2023. What followed — the campaigning, the memoir, the forgiveness, the compassion — has made her one of the most consequential reform voices in contemporary British life.

In this bonus episode of Crisis What Crisis, I sit down with Esther to discuss her Crisis Compass. The four points of navigation that she turns on her darker days – a person, a habit, a comfort and a piece of advice.

Esther is the founder of the Brianna Ghey Legacy Project and Peace in Mind UK, a social enterprise focused on mental health in schools. She launched the Phone Free Education campaign, has campaigned in parliament, and last month received an honorary doctorate from the University of Chester. She was named The Independent's Most Influential Woman of 2024. Her memoir Under a Pink Sky, published by Penguin, is out now in paperback.

POWERED BY KINGSLEY NAPLEY:

I know what it is to have the right legal support around you when facing crisis. Kingsley Napley are the kind of lawyers I wish more people knew about – there to help you make the right decisions, protect what matters and build real resilience when the pressure is on.

This episode is powered by Kingsley Napley, visit www.kingsleynapley.co.uk for more details.

CHAPTERS:

01:16 A Person

02:04 A Habit

03:10 A Comfort

03:39 A Piece of Advice

FOLLOW ESTHER GHEY:

Instagram – www.instagram.com/esther.ghey/

Peace in Mind UK – www.peaceinminduk.com

Under a Pink Sky – available now in paperback

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In February 2023, Esther Ghey's 16-year-old daughter Brianna was murdered in a park near their home in Warrington, in a premeditated attack by two 15-year-olds. Today, Esther is a bereaved mother, but she is also one of the most significant voices for social reform in contemporary British life.

She founded the Brianna Ghey Legacy Project, co-launched the Phone-Free Education campaign with Kate Winslet, and has helped force a national reckoning on children, smartphones and social media. She was named the Independent's Most Influential Woman of 2024 and a GQ Hero.

Her bestselling memoir Under a Pink Sky - now available in paperback - is a searing and hopeful account of love, loss and rebuilding. It is one of the most breathtaking tales of resilience I have ever read.

POWERED BY KINGSLEY NAPLEY:

I know what it is to have the right legal support around you when facing crisis. Kingsley Napley are the kind of lawyers I wish more people knew about – there to help you make the right decisions, protect what matters and build real resilience when the pressure is on.

This episode is powered by Kingsley Napley, visit www.kingsleynapley.co.uk for more details.

FIVE LESSONS FROM ESTHER:

1. Grief doesn't get easier – you learn to build your life around the hole the person left.
2. Don't blame other people for your own decisions.
3. Perception is everything: You can walk the same street looking down at the dog mess or up at the blossom – the choice is yours.
4. Mindfulness isn't a wellness trend. It's a tool that rewires how you respond to stress.
5. Compassion costs nothing.

CHAPTERS:

03:56 – The cherry blossom and the sign

05:20 – Growing up with mum

07:55 – Leaving school with no GCSEs, becoming a mum at 18

09:13 – The sludge-green walls and the addiction

12:17 – Why she refuses to blame anyone but herself

15:43 – Going back to school in her 30s

16:07 – Discovering mindfulness

17:51 – When Brett became Brianna

21:17 – The phone, the bedroom, the 3am email

27:24 – The day it happened

30:16 – The dream that became acceptance

32:47 – What she'd say to anyone in early grief

34:35 – Grieving in public

36:33 – Why she won't name the killers

37:55 – Meeting Emma

43:23 – Building Brianna's legacy

48:05 – Could I have done more?

51:16 – Phones don't build resilience

54:26 – Where the campaign goes next

FOLLOW ESTHER GHEY:

Instagram – www.instagram.com/esther.ghey/

Brianna Ghey Legacy Project – www.instagram.com/briannagheylegacyproject/

Phone-Free Education – www.instagram.com/phonefreeeducation/

BUY ESTHER'S BOOK:

Under a Pink Sky – www.amazon.co.uk/Under-Pink-Sky-Esther-Ghey/dp/0241738733

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Kate Bowler is one of the most thought-provoking voices on pain and suffering you'll ever encounter. Living her dream life – married to her high school sweetheart, a baby boy, and her dream job – she was diagnosed with stage four cancer just as everything fell into place.

In this bonus episode of Crisis What Crisis, I sit down with Kate to discuss her Crisis Compass. The four points of navigation that she turns to in order to help survive a crisis – a person, a habit, a comfort and a piece of advice. We'd love to know yours, let us know in the reviews...

Kate is a four-time New York Times bestseller, professor at Duke University, host of the Everything Happens podcast, and author of an exceptional Substack. Her latest book, Joyful Anyway, hit the shelves this month.

POWERED BY KINGSLEY NAPLEY:

I know what it is to have the right legal support around you when facing crisis. Kingsley Napley are the kind of lawyers I wish more people knew about – there to help you make the right decisions, protect what matters and build real resilience when the pressure is on.

This episode is powered by Kingsley Napley, visit www.kingsleynapley.co.uk for more details.

CHAPTERS:

00:49 A Person – Be a Roger: the quiet librarian who showed her what service really looks like

01:47 A Habit – Praying with her son every night

02:27 A Comfort – Roadside America, a 40-foot ceramic turtle, and how she befriended Tom Holland

03:49 A Piece of Advice – "It comes undone though, so don't skip to the end"

BUY KATE'S NEW BOOK:

Joyful Anyway – www.amazon.co.uk/Joyful-Anyway-Finding-Delight-Impossible/dp/1037202562

FOLLOW KATE BOWLER:

Instagram – www.instagram.com/katecbowler/

YouTube – www.youtube.com/@katecbowler

TikTok – www.tiktok.com/@katecbowler

Substack – https://katebowler.substack.com/

Podcast – Everything Happens

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At 35, Kate Bowler had the life she'd always wanted: she was a Duke University professor, married to her high school sweetheart, with a one-year-old son. Then she was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer.

Today, Kate is a five time New York Times bestselling author, host of the Everything Happens podcast and one of the most inspiring and unique voices on the subject of suffering, the myth of the prosperity gospel and the reality of the human condition.

POWERED BY KINGSLEY NAPLEY:

I know what it is to have the right legal support around you when facing crisis. Kingsley Napley are the kind of lawyers I wish more people knew about – there to help you make the right decisions, protect what matters and build real resilience when the pressure is on. This episode is powered by Kingsley Napley, visit www.kingsleynapley.co.uk for more details.

FIVE LESSONS FROM KATE:

1. Don't trust your 2 am self. Your 2 a.m. self is despairing and terrified.
2. People want to help. Give them small, specific ways to show they love you.
3. Put an expiry date on bitterness.
4. Saying yes opens up untold opportunities – often it’s worth it.
5. Happiness is cheap. Meaning isn't. A happy person isn't necessarily living a meaningful life – they're often just extremely lucky.

CHAPTERS:

04:42 – Defining resilience

10:49 – Growing up with depressed person

14:46 – The prosperity gospel

16:48 – When it all came apart

20:33 – The diagnosis

22:07 – Performing gratitude

35:23 – Rules for surviving cancer

43:33 – The reality of being cured

45:12 – Joyful Anyway

48:19 – The happiness industry

51:23 – On stoicism

55:35 – Fear, sharks and risk

58:18 – Tasked with love

BUY KATE'S NEW BOOK:

Joyful Anyway – www.amazon.co.uk/Joyful-Anyway-Finding-Delight-Impossible/dp/1037202562

FOLLOW KATE BOWLER:

Instagram – www.instagram.com/katecbowler/

YouTube – www.youtube.com/@katecbowler

TikTok – www.tiktok.com/@katecbowler

Substack – https://katebowler.substack.com/

Podcast – Everything Happens

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Charles Tyrwhitt founder, Nick Wheeler, started the business with just £99, a Morris Minor (with a hole rusted through the floor), and zero understanding of how you make a shirt. Today, it’s a £400m global empire – but his story is one not short of tragedy.

In this bonus episode of Crisis What Crisis, I sit down with Nick to discuss his Crisis Compass. The four points of navigation that he turns to in order to help survive a crisis – a person, a habit, a comfort and a piece of advice. We’d love to know yours, let us know in the reviews...

POWERED BY KINGSLEY NAPLEY:

I know what it is to have the right legal support around you when facing crisis. Kingsley Napley are the kind of lawyers I wish more people knew about – there to help you make the right decisions, protect what matters and build real resilience when the pressure is on.

This episode is powered by Kingsley Napley, visit www.kingsleynapley.co.uk for more details.

CHAPTERS:

00:49 A Person – Learning from your children's fresh perspective

01:33 A Habit – 474 days of Duolingo (and still can't speak Italian)

02:32 A Comfort – Singing on a Brompton around London

03:12 A Piece of Advice – Stop stressing about what you can't change

FOLLOW CHARLES TYRWHITT:

‪@charlestyrwhitt‬

Instagram – www.instagram.com/charlestyrwhitt/

YouTube – www.youtube.com/c/charlestyrwhitt

TikTok – www.tiktok.com/discover/charles-tyrwhitt

Website – https://www.charlestyrwhitt.com/uk/home

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Nick Wheeler founded Charles Tyrwhitt with just £99 and a Morris Minor with a hole rusted through the floor (and zero understanding of how you make a shirt!). Today, it’s a £400m global empire – but his story is one not short of tragedy, with the loss of his mother aged just five years old, bankruptcy, and a catalogue of mistakes which meant he nearly lost everything.

In this episode of Crisis What Crisis, I sit down with the man who revolutionised British menswear. Nick Wheeler shares the raw, unfiltered reality of building a world-class brand.

If you want to learn about entrepreneurial resilience, business scaling, and the power of dogged self belief, this masterclass is for you.

POWERED BY KINGSLEY NAPLEY:

I know what it is to have the right legal support around you when facing crisis. Kingsley Napley are the kind of lawyers I wish more people knew about – there to help you make the right decisions, protect what matters and build real resilience when the pressure is on.

This episode is powered by Kingsley Napley, visit www.kingsleynapley.co.uk for more details.

SIX BUSINESS LESSONS:

1) Build to be loved. Nick's motivation has always been simple: to be loved. By his team. By his customers. It's made him £400 million.

2) Never give away a share of your business. The minute you do, someone else has the right to tell you what to do.

3) Be the best in the world at one thing. Not two things. One. Going bust taught him that.

4) Cut early. If something isn't working, be brutally honest with yourself about why. Don't wait.

5) The only real job of an entrepreneur is choosing the right person to run your business.

6) Be a tortoise, not a hare. Grow 10% every year. It's boring for the first 20 years. Then it becomes extraordinary.

CHAPTERS:

01:19 – Introduction

02:54 – The entrepreneurial gene

15:29 – From failed shoes to Charles Tyrwhitt

23:31 – Mistake one

31:07 – Mistake two

36:15 – The hardest lesson

39:31 – The pandemic

44:04 – Cracking America

50:37 – Building a brand people love

FOLLOW CHARLES TYRWHITT:

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/charlestyrwhitt/

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRD_t-tXUDpidmNKqg4kayQ

TikTok – https://www.tiktok.com/discover/charles-tyrwhitt

Website – https://www.charlestyrwhitt.com/uk/home

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In this special tribute episode, we revisit my conversation with the legendary Dame Jenni Murray. Recorded in February 2021 in the early days of the podcast, Jenni joined me to discuss her remarkable 33-year tenure at BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour, her harrowing battle with breast cancer, and the lifelong, deeply personal crisis of obesity that she detailed in her book, Fat Cow, Fat Chance.

Jenni was a pioneer who proved that no topic was too difficult to discuss. In this incredibly frank and moving conversation, we explore the roots of resilience, the complexity of forgiveness, and why "getting on with it" was the only strategy she knew when the world seemed to be unravelling.

POWERED BY KINGSLEY NAPLEY:

I know what it is to have the right legal support around you when facing crisis. Kingsley Napley are the kind of lawyers I wish more people knew about – there to help you make the right decisions, protect what matters, and build real resilience when the pressure is on.

This episode is powered by Kingsley Napley; visit www.kingsleynapley.co.uk for more details.

1. Action Eases Anxiety: When the "shit hits the fan," shifting into a practical, task-oriented mode can prevent you from folding in on yourself.
2. Vulnerability is Bravery: Resilience isn't just about being "tough"; it's about the courage to drop the mask and admit when the pressure is too much.
3. Forgiveness is a Process: Moving past personal trauma requires acknowledging the full, complicated humanity of those who hurt us.
4. Set Your Own Milestones: In times of health or personal crisis, creating small, achievable targets (like writing a eulogy or finishing a treatment) provides a vital sense of control.
5. Words Matter: Shaming – whether of oneself or others – never leads to positive change; empathy and understanding are the only true paths to recovery.

1. 01:50 – "Fat Cow": The Reality of Public Shaming
2. 06:05 – Inherited Habits: A Childhood Defined by Food
3. 08:10 – The Black Bombers: Amphetamines and University Weight Loss
4. 18:20 – Reconciling with Her Mother
5. 22:30 – The Failure of Therapy vs. the Power of Friendship
6. 29:35 – The Phone Call to the Samaritans
7. 36:35 – December 2006: Cancer, Loss, and the Mastectomy
8. 43:00 – "Just Get On With It": The Instinctive Practicality of Crisis
9. 52:00 – A Vascular Necrosis: The Hidden Cost of Chemotherapy
10. 57:05 – The Turning Point: Metabolic Surgery and a Second Chance
11. 01:06:10 – Crisis Cures: Dogs, Crime Novels, and New Forest Ice Cream

FOLLOW CRISIS WHAT CRISIS? Instagram – www.instagram.com/crisiswhatcrisispodcast TikTok – www.tiktok.com/@crisispod

Ryan Holiday – bestselling author of The Daily Stoic, Ego is the Enemy, and The Obstacle is the Way – joins me on Crisis What Crisis to explore why intelligence doesn't protect you from stupidity, why modern life's frictionlessness is making us weaker, and what ancient Stoic philosophy can teach us about navigating today's world.

POWERED BY KINGSLEY NAPLEY:

I know what it is to have the right legal support around you when facing crisis. Kingsley Napley are the kind of lawyers I wish more people knew about – there to help you make the right decisions, protect what matters and build real resilience when the pressure is on.

This episode is powered by Kingsley Napley, visit www.kingsleynapley.co.uk for more details.

IN THIS EPISODE:

00:00 Intro – Ryan Holiday’s Crisis Compass

00:18 Who Guides You in Crisis? (Marcus Aurelius)

00:58 The Power of Role Models in Stoicism

01:08 Daily Habit: Why Journaling Matters

01:24 Finding Calm: The Simple Power of Walking

01:46 One Rule to Live By (Epictetus’ Advice)

02:03 What Stoicism Really Teaches About Control

02:15 More Stoicism Episodes

BUY RYAN'S BOOK:

Wisdom Takes Work – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wisdom-Takes-Work-Important-Journey/dp/1788166299

FOLLOW RYAN:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanholiday/?hl=en

X/Twitter: https://x.com/RyanHoliday

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ryan_holiday

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYmBIKsrzIjdHRuqs2I8nHA

FOLLOW CRISIS WHAT CRISIS?

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Why do genius-level intellects fall for conspiracy theories? How does someone who taught himself rocket science from Soviet manuals end up believing nonsense on social media?

Ryan Holiday – bestselling author of The Daily Stoic, Ego is the Enemy, and The Obstacle is the Way – joins me on Crisis What Crisis to explore why intelligence doesn't protect you from stupidity, why modern life's frictionlessness is making us weaker, and what ancient Stoic philosophy can teach us about navigating today's world.

In this conversation, we discuss Elon Musk's descent into conspiracy theories, why judging young men from reading philosophy is dangerous, what Marcus Aurelius would make of AI, and why Victor Frankl warned in 1979 that our "too soft" world would lead to emptiness.

POWERED BY KINGSLEY NAPLEY:

I know what it is to have the right legal support around you when facing crisis. Kingsley Napley are the kind of lawyers I wish more people knew about – there to help you make the right decisions, protect what matters and build real resilience when the pressure is on.

This episode is powered by Kingsley Napley, visit www.kingsleynapley.co.uk for more details.

WHAT YOU'LL HEAR:

1. Why "making a massive contrarian bet that works" can be brain-destroying
2. The Stoic POW who tapped Epictetus through prison walls in Vietnam
3. Why young men desperately need philosophy (not less of it)
4. How to guard against your own stupidity while pursuing wisdom
5. What Marcus Aurelius would say about your Instagram habits

LESSONS YOU'LL LEARN:

1. Intelligence DOES NOT EQUAL wisdom – being brilliant at one thing doesn't protect you from being an idiot about others
2. Stay a student forever – Marcus Aurelius, the philosopher-king, made a point of always staying a student
3. Friction builds resilience – a frictionless life leaves you vulnerable when reality intervenes
4. You don't control what happens, only how you respond
5. Wisdom takes work – it's not something you're born with; it's the result of hard work, experience, and time

CHAPTERS:

00:00 – Introduction: The Modern Day Philosopher King

02:37 – What is Stoicism? (Explained for people in crisis)

07:58 – Why Ryan turned to ancient philosophy at 19

10:11 – The marketing career he walked away from

13:25 – What if Ryan never discovered Stoicism?

15:02 – Does Stoicism have a "toxic masculinity" problem?

19:16 – Why choose Stoicism over Instagram wealth?

22:07 – What is wisdom and how do you get it?

24:53 – Elon Musk: A cautionary tale of genius + stupidity

27:42 – Will we ever have philosophical leaders again?

30:11 – Victor Frankl's 1979 warning: Life is too soft

33:05 – What would Marcus Aurelius make of AI?

36:22 – Where Ryan goes next?

BUY RYAN'S BOOK:

Wisdom Takes Work – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wisdom-Takes-Work-Important-Journey/dp/1788166299

FOLLOW RYAN:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanholiday/?hl=en

X/Twitter: https://x.com/RyanHoliday

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ryan_holiday

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYmBIKsrzIjdHRuqs2I8nHA

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After building MTV and rising to the very top of the global media industry, Tom Freston experienced dramatic setbacks that forced him to rebuild - not for the first time.

In this Crisis Compass segment, the co-founder of MTV and former CEO of Viacom reveals the personal habits, relationships and mindset that helped him navigate the highs and lows of an extraordinary life.

Tom shares the quiet routines and pieces of advice that keep him grounded today.

POWERED BY KINGSLEY NAPLEY:

I know what it is to have the right legal support around you when facing crisis. Kingsley Napley are the kind of lawyers I wish more people knew about – there to help you make the right decisions, protect what matters and build real resilience when the pressure is on.

This episode is powered by Kingsley Napley, visit www.kingsleynapley.co.uk for more details.

IN THIS EPISODE:

01:10 – The people Tom relies on for advice and perspective

02:25 – The daily habit that keeps Tom grounded

04:05 – The moment that changed how Tom sees business problems

05:30 – Finding comfort in nature and music

TOM’S BOOK:

Read Tom’s book: Unplugged: Adventures from MTV to Timbuktu Follow Tom Freston:

https://www.amazon.com/Unplugged-Adventures-Timbuktu-Tom-Freston/dp/1668089793

FOLLOW TOM:

Instagram – www.instagram.com/tomfrestonunplugged/?hl=en

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