🎧 Sneak Peek – Out Now!
What happens when The Smithy Family trade viral fame for a flickering light and a half-working soundboard?
Welcome to Garage-Level Real Talk — laughs, chaos, and confessions you’d never see on the highlight reel.

They talk grief, co-parenting, creative burnout and what it’s really like when real life crashes through your feed.
 It’s raw. It’s real. It’s definitely not therapy.

🔥 Full episode drops tomorrow! 10am
📩 Got a story too real for social media? Email [email protected]

📸 Follow: @DanLawrenceComedy
| @DefinitelyNotTherapyPod

#TheSmithyFamily #GarageTherapy #DefinitelyNotTherapy #DanLawrence #MensMentalHealth #UKPodcast #RealTalk #FunnyPodcast #CoParenting #Fatherhood #PodcastLife

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A breakup two days before Christmas.
 A father on the floor as paramedics burst through the door.
 A man left staring at the ceiling, wondering what comes next.

This is Wayne’s story — and it’s not clean, polished, or packaged for comfort. It’s the story of a man who fell hard, and then slowly, painfully, built something worth standing on again.

In this episode, Dan sits with Wayne to unpack what happens when the floor disappears — and how you find your footing again through honesty, music, and movement.
 Together, they talk about the unspoken corners of men’s mental health, the quiet battles of co-parenting, and the reality of being a “good dad” when systems, calendars, and distance all work against you.

Wayne doesn’t sugar coat it. He shares what it’s like to lose contact with three of his five daughters, how he still celebrates their wins from afar, and the festival moment that stopped time — DJing shoulder-to-shoulder with his teenage daughter, music bridging everything words couldn’t.

This isn’t a redemption story with a soundtrack and neat ending. It’s a survival manual built from lived experience — the small, stubborn actions that keep your head above water:

• Seeing time as acceptance, not a cure
• Choosing sobriety over escape
• Turning shame into strength
• Using sea-front walks and simple routines to rebuild peace
• Learning how to be present, not perfect
• Remembering that memories beat material things every time

If you’ve ever smiled in public while breaking in private, been told to “man up” when you were just trying to breathe, or wondered how to show up when everything feels lost — this episode is a quiet hand on your shoulder.

It’s about finding life in the leftovers.
 It’s about showing up for your kids, even when they can’t see it.
 It’s about staying human in the mess.

🎧 Listen, share, and tag someone who needs to hear this.
Leave a short review with one thing you’re taking from Wayne’s story — because your words might be the reminder someone else is waiting for.

💬 Talk to Dan

If you’re going through your own storm — a breakup, co-parenting battle, grief, or that heavy silence that no one sees — come and talk about it. This space is for you.

📩 Email: [email protected]

📱 Instagram: @DanLawrenceComedy
| @DefinitelyNotTherapyPod

📘 Facebook: Dan Lawrence

Because sometimes, talking about it isn’t weakness — it’s the start of healing.
This isn’t therapy. It’s something realer.

Support the show

 This episode includes open conversations about suicidal thoughts, emotional abuse, and traumatic brain injury.
If you are struggling, please reach out for support.
In the UK, contact Samaritans on 116 123 or visit samaritans.org. You are not alone. 

What happens when the thing that built your identity — your body, your sport, your fight — is suddenly gone?

This week, we meet Matt, whose story redefines what strength really means. Diagnosed with dyspraxia at six, he pushed through ridicule, coordination challenges, and school labels to build a name in MMA, K1, and boxing. He chased adrenaline, discipline, and control — until one brutal moment in the ring changed everything. A brain injury, white-matter damage on the scan, legs that stopped responding… and a silence that hit harder than any punch.

Then came the harder fight — the one inside his own head. We go deep into the quiet aftermath: the depression, the isolation, the emotional abuse and gaslighting that left him questioning reality itself. Matt opens up about losing touch with family, facing suicidal thoughts, and the night he finally reached breaking point.

But this story isn’t about collapse. It’s about what holds you when everything falls apart — a brother who refused to leave, a father who flew him to Spain to get him safe, and the power of therapy to bring life back into focus. Through EMDR, Matt learned to quiet the noise, ease the flashbacks, and rebuild from the inside out. Slowly, he began to find peace — and love — with Shannon, whose patience and belief helped him rediscover trust, purpose, and hope.

If you think resilience is about roaring comebacks and perfect endings, this conversation will show you another kind: slow courage, honest vulnerability, and tiny, defiant steps toward light. Matt’s journey reminds us that true strength isn’t in the fight — it’s in the recovery.

Stay with us to the end for an unfiltered reflection on masculinity, online hate, validation, and gratitude — and how healing can start with something as simple as laughter around the dinner table.

🎧 If this story moves you, follow, rate, and share the show. It could be the thing that helps someone else believe that healing is still possible.

🔹 Episode Highlights

• Dyspraxia diagnosis at six and the battle to fit in
• Losing his granddad, family fractures, and finding the gym
• Early fight wins, brutal losses, and the moment that changed everything
• The brain injury: white-matter damage, losing mobility, and the mental crash
• Emotional abuse, manipulation, and the quiet terror of gaslighting
• Isolation, despair, and the night suicidal thoughts took over
• The moment that changed it — a father’s rescue flight to Spain
• Discovering EMDR: rewiring trauma, calming the body, finding sleep
• Meeting Shannon, becoming a stepdad, learning love again
• Rebuilding life with dyspraxia and PTSD through patience and teamwork
• Masculinity, validation, and the truth about being “a strong man”
• Gratitude for the small, ordinary moments that prove you’re alive

🩹 Content Note

This episode includes open discussions about brain injury, emotional abuse, and suicidal thoughts.
If you are struggling, please reach out for help.
In the UK, contact Samaritans at 116 123 or visit samaritans.org.
You are not alone.

📢 Short Description (for apps / previews)

When a brain injury ended Matt’s fighting career, everything stopped — his body, his purpose, his identity.
 This is the story of rebuilding from rock bottom: dyspraxia, gaslighting, PTSD, EMDR therapy, and finding love and safety again.

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A breakup two days before Christmas.
 A father on the floor as paramedics burst through the door.
 A man left staring at the ceiling, wondering what comes next.

This is Wayne’s story — and it’s not clean, polished, or packaged for comfort. It’s the story of a man who fell hard, and then slowly, painfully, built something worth standing on again.

In this episode, Dan sits with Wayne to unpack what happens when the floor disappears — and how you find your footing again through honesty, music, and movement.
 Together, they talk about the unspoken corners of men’s mental health, the quiet battles of co-parenting, and the reality of being a “good dad” when systems, calendars, and distance all work against you.

Wayne doesn’t sugarcoat it. He shares what it’s like to lose contact with three of his five daughters, how he still celebrates their wins from afar, and the festival moment that stopped time — DJing shoulder-to-shoulder with his teenage daughter, music bridging everything words couldn’t.

This isn’t a redemption story with a soundtrack and neat ending. It’s a survival manual built from lived experience — the small, stubborn actions that keep your head above water:

• Seeing time as acceptance, not a cure
• Choosing sobriety over escape
• Turning shame into strength
• Using sea-front walks and simple routines to rebuild peace
• Learning how to be present, not perfect
• Remembering that memories beat material things every time

If you’ve ever smiled in public while breaking in private, been told to “man up” when you were just trying to breathe, or wondered how to show up when everything feels lost — this episode is a quiet hand on your shoulder.

It’s about finding life in the leftovers.
 It’s about showing up for your kids, even when they can’t see it.
 It’s about staying human in the mess.

🎧 Listen, share, and tag someone who needs to hear this.
Leave a short review with one thing you’re taking from Wayne’s story — because your words might be the reminder someone else is waiting for.

💬 Talk to Dan

If you’re going through your own storm — a breakup, co-parenting battle, grief, or that heavy silence that no one sees — come and talk about it. This space is for you.

📩 Email: [email protected]

📱 Instagram: @DanLawrenceComedy
| @DefinitelyNotTherapyPod

📘 Facebook: Dan Lawrence

Because sometimes, talking about it isn’t weakness — it’s the start of healing.
This isn’t therapy. It’s something realer.

Support the show

This week on Definitely Not Therapy, Dan Lawrence sits down with Natalie, a woman whose journey through endometriosis, mental health struggles, and chronic pain reveals both the heartbreak and the heroism behind survival.

Natalie’s story begins long before most people even understand their own bodies. At just nine years old, she was already dealing with severe period pain, cramps so excruciating they left her unable to stand. While her friends played carefree, Natalie learned early what it meant to live inside a body that felt like it was working against her.

By fifteen, she was diagnosed with endometriosis, a complex and often misunderstood condition that causes tissue similar to the lining of the womb to grow in other parts of the body. The pain is not only physical — it takes a deep emotional and psychological toll. For Natalie, this diagnosis came with another devastating blow: doctors told her she may never be able to have children.

But life had other plans. At nineteen, in one of the most unexpected and surreal moments of her life, Natalie discovered she was pregnant — a moment that defied every medical expectation and reminded her that miracles still happen, even in the midst of suffering.

Over the years, she went on to have more children, balancing the joys of motherhood with the invisible agony of chronic illness. But the unrelenting pain, the sense of isolation, and the trauma from years of being misunderstood pushed her to breaking point. She was sectioned twice under the Mental Health Act, each time confronting the rawest parts of her mental and emotional reality.

During her darkest days, one person never left her side — the man she met when she was just fourteen years old. Against all odds, he stayed. Through hospital visits, breakdowns, and countless moments of uncertainty, he became her constant source of unconditional love and strength.

Now, Natalie speaks openly about her journey — not as a victim, but as a survivor. Her story is one of resilience, honesty, and hope, told with the kind of realness that so many people suffering in silence need to hear.

This conversation is for anyone who has ever:

• Lived with chronic pain that others couldn’t see
• Been told “it’s all in your head”
• Faced the fear of infertility or loss of control over your body
• Struggled with mental health and felt forgotten by the system
• Needed a reminder that healing takes time — and courage

Natalie’s voice carries a message that’s universal: you can fall apart and still rebuild yourself. You can be broken and still beautiful. And you can face life’s hardest battles — and still win.

🎧 Listen now to hear a raw and deeply moving conversation about:

• Living with endometriosis and managing daily pain
• The link between physical illness and mental health
• What it’s really like to be sectioned under the Mental Health Act
• Motherhood, resilience, and rediscovering self-worth
• The power of love and connection in the middle of chaos

If you’ve ever felt like life hit you too hard, too soon — this episode will remind you that you are never alone, and that your story still has meaning.

🧠 It’s Definitely Not Therapy… but it might just help you see that you’re not the only one fighting through the dark.

👉 Learn more and get help:
To understand more about endometriosis, visit Endometriosis UK
— a leading organisation supporting women and raising awareness about this often-invisible condition.

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Trigger warning: This episode contains open discussions around suicidal thoughts, alcoholism, divorce, and mental health struggles.

Episode Summary

In this deeply raw and honest conversation, Adi shares the battle that nearly ended his life — and the hope that saved it.

After 12 years in the military, Adi found himself trapped in a cycle of deployment after deployment, using the next mission as an escape from the pain he couldn’t face at home. But no matter how far he ran, the weight of his mental health struggles always caught up.

The constant pressure, trauma, and bottle in his hand became his only coping mechanisms. Eventually, it all came crashing down — his marriage ended, and Adi found himself alone in his bedroom, a noose in front of him, ready to end his life.

But fate had other plans. His ex-wife and children returned home unexpectedly, and the overwhelming shame forced him to make a choice: end it all, or fight. Adi chose to fight — not just for himself, but for his family.

That decision changed everything.

What You’ll Hear in This Episode:

🪖 Life in the military — the hidden emotional toll of constant deployments and never slowing down.
🥃 Numbing the pain — how alcohol became a dangerous crutch.
💔 Losing everything — the divorce that forced Adi to finally confront his demons.
🧠 The breaking point — the night he nearly ended his life.
🌅 The turning point — the unexpected moment that gave him hope.
🧘‍♂️ Healing and rebuilding — therapy, self-work, and learning new techniques like hypnosis.
💬 Becoming the helper — how Adi turned his pain into purpose, now working as a therapist helping other veterans adjust to civilian life.
👨‍👩‍👧 Rebuilding family — how hope and healing helped him rebuild the most important relationships in his life.

Key Message

Adi is one of the lucky ones. Many men don’t make it to this part of the story. But he’s living proof that hope is enough to start again.
You don’t need to have it all figured out. You just need to hang on to that tiny bit of belief that things can change.

If you’re struggling, if you’re tired, if you’re ready to give up — don’t.
Talk. Reach out. Speak. There is always another way.

Dan’s Message

“This podcast is about real people and real stories. If you’ve got a story like Adi’s — something raw, something real — and you want to share it to help others, please reach out. I’d love to talk to you.”

📩 Email / DM: [email protected] or search Dan Lawrence on Facebook, @DanLawrenceComedy or @DefinitelyNotTherapyPod on Instagram.

Support & Resources

If you’ve been affected by anything in this episode, please know you’re not alone. There’s help available:

• 🇬🇧 Andy’s Man Club – Free talking groups for men every Monday across the UK: https://andysmanclub.co.uk
  
  
• ☎️ Samaritans (UK) – Free, 24/7 support line: 116 123 | https://www.samaritans.org
  
  
• 🧠 Mind – Mental health support and resources: https://www.mind.org.uk
  
  
• 🎖️ Combat Stress – Mental health support for veterans: https://combatstress.org.uk
  
  
• 🧍‍♂️ CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably) – For men in crisis: https://www.thecalmzone.net

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Trigger warning: conversation contains discussion of suicidal thoughts.

Episode summary:
Craig tells the story of how Andy’s Man Club saved his life — from a breakdown at his first meeting to eventually becoming a facilitator who now helps others stay alive and connected. 

Full summary:
In this emotionally honest episode Craig opens up about rock-bottom loneliness after a relationship breakdown, vivid memories of driving to the edge of a tall  bridge with the urge to steer off, and how his first Andy’s Man Club meeting — where he managed only “four words” before breaking down — should have been the moment everyone assumed he wouldn’t return. Instead, that meeting became the beginning of his survival and recovery. Craig walks us through the raw panic, the shame of putting on a front, and the slow, stubborn work of building a support network — and now he pays it forward as a facilitator, changing other men’s lives the way AMC changed his.

Why this episode matters:
This is a real-world example of how peer support and simple consistent human contact can stop a suicide attempt and rebuild a life. Craig’s story bluntly shows how isolation looks from the inside — and how a roomful of blokes willing to listen can be the difference between life and death.

Standout quotes:

• “I got four words in…and then I just broke down. They thought I wouldn’t be back. I was checked out.”
• “There was a bridge. I could feel the steering wheel — that moment was louder than anything else.”
• “If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be here. My son wouldn’t be here.”
• “You don’t need a diagnosis to deserve help. You need someone to hear you.”

Key takeaways / What listeners should do:

1. If you’re feeling that urge — tell someone. Say it to anyone. It breaks the isolation.
2. Andy’s Man Club run weekly groups across the UK and online to build long-term connection. They provide non-judgemental, free talking spaces where men can be honest. 
   https://andysmanclub.co.uk 
3. If someone is in immediate danger or you’re worried they might act on suicidal thoughts, call an emergency service or a 24/7 helpline (see below).  https://www.samaritans.org 

Resources:

• Find an Andy’s Man Club near you / learn about their groups. Andy’s Man Club — a UK men’s suicide-prevention charity running free peer-to-peer talking groups. 
  https://andysmanclub.co.uk 
• Samaritans (UK) — free, 24/7 listening service: 116 123 (from any phone). Call anytime. 
  https://www.samaritans.org 
• NHS / Help for suicidal thoughts — guidance on immediate steps and helplines. 
  https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/feelings-symptoms-behaviours/behaviours/suicidal-feelings/ 
• Mind — mental health helplines & services — list of other helplines (SANE, CALM, etc.) and opening times. Good for region-specific options. 
  https://chatgpt.com/c/68d13cb6-7590-8329-8ec4-587de05c5f6e#:~:text=https%3A//www.mind.org.uk/information%2Dsupport/helplines/

If you would like to have your own episode of Definitely Not Therapy to tell your story and spread some awareness, please get in contact by either emailing us at [email protected] or DM Dan on either his Facebook page or his Instagram pages - @DanLawrenceComedy or @DefinitelyNotTherapyPod - Your story might save someone else's life, so please get in touch, you can remain anonymous if you would prefer.

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This week on Definitely Not Therapy, I sit down with Richard – a man whose passion for teaching runs deep, but whose journey has been anything but straightforward.

Richard opens up about the darkest chapter of his life: losing his job, battling depression, and the heavy weight of providing for his four children while feeling like the world had turned against him. He shares the raw truth of what it’s like when you’re told to “be honest” only for that honesty to be used against you—costing him the chance at his dream role.

But this isn’t a story that ends in defeat. Richard talks about how he faced the pain head-on, picked himself back up, and found the strength to keep moving forward even when it felt impossible. His story is one of resilience, hope, and the reality that no matter how far down you feel, you can always rise again.

We talk about:

• The toll of job loss and financial pressure on mental health
• The stigma around honesty and vulnerability in the workplace
• The crushing weight of responsibility when you’ve got a family to provide for
• How Richard learned to keep going through the fog of depression
• Finding purpose again and coming out the other side stronger

Richard’s journey is proof that even in your lowest moments, you can rebuild, you can grow, and you can come out fighting.

🔗 If you’re struggling, remember: you are not alone. Check out Andy’s Man Club
 and other support networks near you.

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Episode Snapshot

This episode hits deep. I sat down with Olly from Angels United FC, a football-based support group formed by dads who found traditional therapy didn’t cut it. They used the pitch - not the couch - to process grief after losing a child during pregnancy. Olly bravely shares his heartbreak: losing twins Dottie and Poppy. But through the darkness, a rainbow baby arrived. His story? A reminder you’re never truly alone. Instead of sitting and mourning, Olly went to watch his beloved Gillingham FC play football, and a simple tweet changed his life! With an outpouring of love from supporters, players and even the manager! Football really is a language everyone can speak, and it spoke to Olly that day and showed him how powerful it can be. 

About Angels United FC

• What they are: A peer-to-peer bereavement support group and football team formed in Manchester in 2020 by 13 fathers who all suffered the loss of a baby or child during pregnancy or at any age or stage. Football became their lifeline.
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  Angels United Fc+8
• How it helps: They use football to #BreakTheSilence on baby & child loss, bringing together men from all backgrounds in a safe, no-judgment zone.
  Angels United Fc+2
• The pitch ritual: Players wear pink-and-blue kits - colours symbolizing infant loss - with their angels’ names on the back. They show up for each other, simply kick about, connect, and eventually talk.
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  Angels United Fc+4
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• Why it matters: Olly says football “saved me.” After his daughters’ funeral, attending a match - and seeing how strangers reached out - showed him that connection doesn’t need words to heal.
  Mancunian Matters+1
• Recognition: In 2023, they won Manchester Community Sports Project of the Year, proving their impact reaches far beyond the pitch.
  Facebook+5
  Angels United Fc+5
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• More than a team: Beyond football, they offer peer support over coffee, walks, and open chats. Everyone is welcome - no fitness requirement, no pressure.
  Angels United Fc

** Learn more or reach out here: [Angels United FC website]**
Angels United Fc

Episode Highlights

• Olly’s snapshot: “We tried counselling, group sessions, coffee mornings - but it just wasn’t right for me. Football saved me.”
  ITVX
• Raw truth: The club doesn’t interrogate your grief - with a ball at your feet and guys who’ve been there, conversation comes when you're ready.
  Instagram
• Why sport heals: On grief’

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In the most vulnerable moment of his life, Dan Lawrence takes Definitely Not Therapy beyond the studio and straight into the heart of London — live at Andy’s Man Club’s “Longest Conversation”, a 12-hour event symbolising the 12 men lost to suicide every single day in the UK.

What unfolds is raw, redemptive, and deeply human.
 Before a live audience, Dan opens up about the night everything fell apart — the unbearable thought of losing time with his daughter, the loneliness that followed, and the haunting belief that nobody would ever believe in him again.
 What changed everything? Ten seconds of courage — the moment that saved his life.

Joining Dan on stage is Lucas from Andy’s Man Club (AMC), who opens up about losing three close friends — all young, all successful, all gone too soon. Lucas reveals what really happens behind the doors of AMC: a brew, a biscuit, a circle of men who talk honestly and listen without judgment. It’s not therapy — it’s connection, and it’s saving lives every single week.

Together, Dan and Lucas explore:
 • Why vulnerability is strength, not weakness
• The brutal gap between posting online and being heard in person
• How peer-led support breaks the silence men live in
• Why therapy, even when messy, still heals
• What it really means to move from “man up” to opening up
• Why non-linear recovery is still progress
• And how ten seconds of courage can rewrite your story forever

There’s also a moving cameo from comedian Paul Smith, who opens up about pressure, identity, and finding joy again through honesty — proof that authenticity isn’t just freeing, it’s healing.

If you’ve ever worn a mask, told everyone you were fine, or quietly wondered if you mattered — this episode is for you.
 Because one message, one “Are you okay?”, one moment of honesty could save a life — maybe even yours.

💬 Key Takeaways

• Talking isn’t weakness — it’s survival.
• Peer support saves lives — no judgment, no referral, just men helping men.
• The gap between pretending and healing is community.
• Ten seconds of courage can open the door to hope, help, and healing.

🕊️ About Andy’s Man Club (AMC)

Founded in 2016 after the tragic loss of Andrew Roberts, Andy’s Man Club is a men’s suicide-prevention charity that now runs over 240 free, peer-led groups across the UK every Monday night and online.
Their mission is simple and powerful: It’s Okay To Talk.
Learn more: andysmanclub.co.uk

❤️ If You Need Help

You are not alone. Help is waiting.

📞 Andy’s Man Club — Free, no sign-up, every Monday night nationwide
🌐 andysmanclub.co.uk

📞 Samaritans (UK): 116 123 — Free, 24/7
💬 Shout: Text 85258 (UK Crisis Text Line)

🎧 Where to Listen

Tune in wherever you get your podcasts —
 🎙️ Spotify | 🍎 Apple Podcasts | 🎧 Amazon Music | 🔍 Google Podcasts | ❤️ iHeartRadio

Stream it, save it, and share it with someone who might need a reminder that they’re not alone.

📢 Call to Action

If this episode spoke to you — if it made you think, pause, or feel something real —
 please subscribe, share, and leave a review.

Your words might reach the one person who’s searching for hope tonight.
 Sometimes, your ten seconds of courage is the spark someone else has been waiting for.

🤝 Connect with the Show

Stay connected, join the conversation, and help us keep breaking the silence:
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