Welcome back to Dial Emma! Each week, I'll be answering your dilemmas with honesty, empathy, and a few therapeutic truth bombs to help you make sense of life's stickiest moments. If you've ever wished you had a therapist in your back pocket, Dial Emma is here to help.

It's World Mental Health Day this Friday 10th October, so I'm delighted to be joined by a special guest who knows the power of martial arts for mental health better than most: four-time black belt, double gold medal champion and founder of Graham's Academy of Martial Arts, Steve Graham.

Our dilemma this week comes from a concerned mother, whose teenage son is struggling with anxiety, depression and a loss of confidence and spends much of his time in his room. She asks: how can I support my son and encourage him to try something new, without making him feel pressured?

To help this lovely listener, Steve and I go back to grassroots mental health as it has shown up in our own lives. We discuss the challenges teenagers are facing, especially on social media, the importance of role models to help them navigate those challenges, and how martial arts can serve as a powerful tool for building confidence and providing support.

Steve also tells us the benefits of martial arts for our mental wellbeing and the practical steps we can take to get involved in physical activities, encouraging both parents and teens to take action for better mental health.

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Useful links:

Dopamine Nation by Anna Lembke

Chimp Paradox by Steve Peters

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If you have a dilemma for Emma, please fill out this form. 

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Dial Emma is hosted by Emma Reed Turrell, produced by Lauren Brook.

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Social media:

Emma Reed Turrell @emmareedturrell

Dial Emma @dialemmapodcast

Email: [email protected]

Welcome back to Dial Emma! Each week, I'll be answering your dilemmas with honesty, empathy, and a few therapeutic truth bombs to help you make sense of life's stickiest moments. If you've ever wished you had a therapist in your back pocket, Dial Emma is here to help.

What happens when a friendship fades without explanation, or ends in a way that feels like a betrayal?

This week, I'm exploring the fragile bonds of friendship, and the lack of rituals for closure, clear endings, or language to help us process when they unravel. Our first dilemma involves a friendship that has been slowly, quietly drifting away with no explanation, leaving our listener wondering if they're asking for too much; the second sees a childhood promise broken in a very public way, creating a rupture in a 25-year friendship that is proving difficult to move past.

This episode is a reminder that friendships don’t have to be constant to be real - but they do have to be mutual. When they no longer are, the grief of their loss is both real and valid. By acknowledging it, we create the space for new connections that choose us back, in the here and now.

If you have a dilemma for Emma, please fill out this form. 

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Dial Emma is hosted by Emma Reed Turrell, produced by Lauren Brook.

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Social media:

Emma Reed Turrell @emmareedturrell

Dial Emma @dialemmapodcast

Email: [email protected]

Welcome back to Dial Emma! Each week, I'll be answering your dilemmas with honesty, empathy, and a few therapeutic truth bombs to help you make sense of life's stickiest moments. If you've ever wished you had a therapist in your back pocket, Dial Emma is here to help.

This week, I'm tackling two dilemmas around work, identity, and balance. First, we hear from a new mum who wonders if it’s selfish to leave a safe but uninspiring job in pursuit of a more fulfilling career, torn between the security her family needs and the desire to model courage and purpose for her daughter. Our second dilemma comes from a listener who has reduced their working hours to focus on health, wellbeing and sustainability long-term, but now faces judgment from colleagues who see part-time work as “slacking.”

This episode explores guilt, fear, workplace culture, and the importance of aligning our choices with who we are becoming, not just who we’ve been.

If you have a dilemma for Emma, please fill out this form. 

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Dial Emma is hosted by Emma Reed Turrell, produced by Lauren Brook.

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Social media:

Emma Reed Turrell @emmareedturrell

Dial Emma @dialemmapodcast

Email: [email protected]

Welcome back to Dial Emma! Each week, I'll be answering your dilemmas with honesty, empathy, and a few therapeutic truth bombs to help you make sense of life's stickiest moments. If you've ever wished you had a therapist in your back pocket, Dial Emma is here to help.

This week, I'm joined by psychotherapist and author Joshua Fletcher, aka Anxiety Josh, to help a listener who is struggling with anxious feelings around self-optimisation - the pursuit of trying to be our 'best selves' (whatever that actually means). From 5am clubs to wellness trackers, we explore why trying to do everything right can leave us feeling wrong, and how embracing failure, feelings, and self-acceptance offers a far more authentic path to wellbeing.

If you have a dilemma for Emma, please fill out this form. 

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Dial Emma is hosted by Emma Reed Turrell, produced by Lauren Brook.

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Social media:

Emma Reed Turrell @emmareedturrell

Dial Emma @dialemmapodcast

Email: [email protected]

Welcome back to Dial Emma! Each week, I'll be answering your dilemmas with honesty, empathy, and a few therapeutic truth bombs to help you make sense of life's stickiest moments. If you've ever wished you had a therapist in your back pocket, Dial Emma is here to help.

This week, I'm joined by trauma and self-work therapist Helen Marie, to unpack a dilemma involving estranged siblings. Together, we explore themes of trauma, attachment, and self-worth, the complexity of sibling relationships, and the impact that difficult childhood experiences can have on family dynamics later in life.

Helen also shares her expertise on regulating the nervous system through somatic practices and techniques, showing listeners how to perform a 'physiological sigh' to reset and gain clarity when we feel dysregulated.

Helen Marie is a renowned psychotherapist with a phenomenal presence on Instagram and TikTok, where she shares accessible advice on self-work and trauma. Her book, "Choose You," guides readers on a compassionate journey of self-discovery, while her podcast "I Don't Think We Talk Enough About..." is a must-listen for more in-depth discussions.

If you have a dilemma for Emma, please fill out this form. 

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Dial Emma is hosted by Emma Reed Turrell, produced by Lauren Brook.

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Social media:

Emma Reed Turrell @emmareedturrell

Dial Emma @dialemmapodcast

Email: [email protected]

Welcome back to Dial Emma! Each week, I'll be answering your dilemmas with honesty, empathy, and a few therapeutic truth bombs to help you make sense of life's stickiest moments. If you've ever wished you had a therapist in your back pocket, Dial Emma is here to help.

This week, I'm answering two dilemmas about intimacy, connection and betrayal. One listener writes about being blindsided after finding her partner's hidden Viagra pills and porn subscriptions; another wants to know whether love can be enough in a relationship, when sex is almost entirely absent.

In this episode, I explore shame, secrecy, desire, and the courage it takes to talk openly about what we really need in relationship. Whether you’re grappling with similar questions yourself or simply listening in, this episode is a reminder that intimacy is about much more than sex—and that honesty, vulnerability, and communication are the real bridges to closeness.

If you have a dilemma for Emma, please fill out this form. 

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Dial Emma is hosted by Emma Reed Turrell, produced by Lauren Brook.

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Social media:

Emma Reed Turrell @emmareedturrell

Dial Emma @dialemmapodcast

Email: [email protected]

Welcome back to Dial Emma! Each week, I'll be answering your dilemmas with honesty, empathy, and a few therapeutic truth bombs to help you make sense of life's stickiest moments. If you've ever wished you had a therapist in your back pocket, Dial Emma is here to help.

In this week's episode, we hear two dilemmas that sit in the grey zone when it comes to relationships. One listener is torn between a promising new partner and the pull of an ex, while another faces an unplanned pregnancy and the fear of disappointing her parents. I explore why we hold on to the past, how to let go, and what it means to make life-changing choices on our own terms.

If you have a dilemma for Emma, please fill out this form. 

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Dial Emma is hosted by Emma Reed Turrell, produced by Lauren Brook.

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Social media:

Emma Reed Turrell @emmareedturrell

Dial Emma @dialemmapodcast

Email: [email protected]

Welcome to season two of Dial Emma! Each week, I'll be answering your dilemmas with honesty, empathy, and a few therapeutic truth bombs to help you make sense of life's stickiest moments. If you've ever wished you had a therapist in your back pocket, Dial Emma is here to help.

In this first episode of season two, I'm delving into love, secrets, and the emotional weight of family expectations through two dilemmas. One listener struggles to imagine herself coming out to her family in the lead-up to her wedding; another yearns for her sister's absent acceptance of her same-sex relationship.

I explore the importance of self-alignment and authenticity in relationships, how to navigate the emotional terrain of revealing hidden truths to loved ones, and the impact of hiding parts of ourselves from the people we love.

If you have a dilemma for Emma, please fill out this form. 

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Dial Emma is hosted by Emma Reed Turrell, produced by Lauren Brook.

---

Social media:

Emma Reed Turrell @emmareedturrell

Dial Emma @dialemmapodcast

Email: [email protected]

Welcome back to Dial Emma! Each week, I'll be answering your dilemmas with honesty, empathy, and a few therapeutic truth bombs to help you make sense of life's stickiest moments. If you've ever wished you had a therapist in your back pocket, Dial Emma is here to help.

It's the last episode of season one of Dial Emma, but never fear! I'll be back with season two very soon, so if you have a dilemma that you'd like my help with, please do submit it anonymously here.

In this season finale, I'm tackling three dilemmas, all with a common theme: heartbreak.

Whether it's the ex you can't forget, a partner who left without closure, or the fear of opening up again, I delve into the emotional wounds that we're left with after heartbreak, and the therapeutic insights, techniques and advice that might help our listeners to find a deeper understanding of themselves and the way forward.

Thank you so much for listening, and I can't wait to see you again in season two.

If you have a dilemma for Emma, please fill out this form. 

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Dial Emma is hosted by Emma Reed Turrell, produced by Lauren Brook.

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Social media:

Emma Reed Turrell @emmareedturrell

Dial Emma @dialemmapodcast

Email: [email protected]

Welcome back to Dial Emma! Each week, I'll be answering your dilemmas with honesty, empathy, and a few therapeutic truth bombs to help you make sense of life's stickiest moments. If you've ever wished you had a therapist in your back pocket, Dial Emma is here to help.

To help me unpack today's dilemma, I'm joined by another special guest: podcaster, author, coach and founder of Motherkind, Zoe Blaskey!

Our dilemma this week is all about balancing career ambitions and motherhood - or, as our listener puts it, 'career vs motherhood.' She's 33 and plans to start trying for a baby in the near future, but a combination of loss of confidence in a male-dominated, high-pressure work environment, a desire to follow her own professional ambitions and a fear of failing at having a career AND being a mother have left her feeling completely stuck.

In this episode, we tackle the conspiracy of 'having it all' when it comes to mothering and working, why building self-confidence is the first step to figuring out the way forward, and the transformative power of matrescence. Zoe also shares her insights on navigating toxic work environments, the value of mentorship, and how to find the organisations that value and support employees who also happen to be parents.

If you have a dilemma for Emma, please fill out this form. 

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Dial Emma is hosted by Emma Reed Turrell, produced by Lauren Brook.

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Social media:

Emma Reed Turrell @emmareedturrell

Dial Emma @dialemmapodcast

Email: [email protected]