Welcome back to Dial Emma and to the fourth and last episode of our mini-series on reframes. Thank you so much for joining me, and please do let me know what you thought of the series!

This week, our listener is in her fifties, wondering who she is now that her grown-up children no longer need her in the same way they once did.

In this episode, I dive deeper into what happens when the conditions that we place on our self-worth shift and change, the process of returning to the self after decades of existing for others, and how we can learn to see ourselves again in the midst of an emergence.

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

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Dial Emma @dialemmapodcast

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Welcome back to Dial Emma and to the third episode of this mini-series on reframes.

This week, we hear from a listener who wonders if she is having a breakdown...while I wonder whether it's the first honest version of her life.

In her own words, our 47-year-old listener feels as though she has 'blown up her life,' after ending her marriage of twenty years, moving into a rented house and trying to navigate midlife, dating apps and new identity as a single mother. Is freedom and autonomy just a false fantasy? Or is that collapse we feel after a big life shift simply evidence that we've stopped trying to maintain a life that doesn't fit?

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

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Emma Reed Turrell @emmareedturrell

Dial Emma @dialemmapodcast

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Hello, lovely listeners! Welcome back to Dial Emma and to our mini-series on reframes.

This week, our listener is a mum of two in her thirties, who feels as though she is disappearing amidst the demands of modern life, career and motherhood. She has a good husband and two children who she loves, but in private, she fantasises about escaping to a hotel room where she can be alone, not needed by anyone. Why, she asks, can't I cope, when everyone else seems to?

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

The OK Corral in Transactional Analysis: https://changingminds.org/explanations/behaviors/ok_not-ok.htm

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Emma Reed Turrell @emmareedturrell

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Hello, lovely listeners! Welcome back to Dial Emma and to my brand new mini-series on reframes.

This week, we hear from a 27-year-old listener who feels as though she missed the life handbook that everyone else got. Her peers are getting married, having children, buying houses: meanwhile, she lives in a house share, with a mouldy bathroom and one shelf in the fridge to call her own.

Does everything need to feel certain in our twenties? Do we need to have a five-year-plan? Or can we find ways to intentionally inhabit a life that feels joyful right now, without a clear destination?

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

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Emma Reed Turrell @emmareedturrell

Dial Emma @dialemmapodcast

Email: [email protected]

Hello, again! Welcome back to Dial Emma and to a new mini-series: all about reframes.

Before I bring in the voices of my lovely listeners to explore this theme, I wanted to start somewhere personal - because reframes have shaped almost everything in my life, professionally, therapeutically, and in the very particular chaos of the last few years. And if I'm going to ask you to go there, it felt only right that I go first.

This isn't a polished story with a tidy conclusion. It's a real account of how perspective has shifted for me - sometimes gently, sometimes with a force I didn't see coming.

I talk about how I ended up in therapy, retraining as a therapist, navigating the COVID pandemic and, of course, my personal reframes: divorce, single parenting, losing my mother to Alzheimer's, perimenopause and a diagnosis of autism.

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

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Emma Reed Turrell @emmareedturrell

Dial Emma @dialemmapodcast

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In honour of International Women’s Day, Dial Emma presents The Unsaid – a four-part mini-series exploring the emotional realities many women are living with, but rarely have language for. Each episode features two listener dilemmas and twenty minutes of thoughtful, compassionate reflection on the inner work women are doing beneath the surface of competence, independence and survival.

This is the fourth and final episode of The Unsaid mini-series, and this week we're talking about grief - but perhaps not in the way you might think.

We hear from two listeners who are both struggling to navigate their unique experiences of grief. One is experiencing the loss of the person she thought she would become and the life she thought she would live, while the other survived something traumatic and is now grieving for the parts of herself that she lost in the process.

How do we move forward in the wake of survival, knowing that it came at a cost? Can we ever make meaning from the chaos of the grief experience?

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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]

In honour of International Women’s Day, Dial Emma presents The Unsaid – a four-part mini-series exploring the emotional realities many women are living with, but rarely have language for. Each episode features two listener dilemmas and twenty minutes of thoughtful, compassionate reflection on the inner work women are doing beneath the surface of competence, independence and survival.

In this episode, I explore a powerful paradox: being strong and independent while still feeling lonely or unseen.

While many of us pride ourselves on being capable and self-sufficient, that sense of independence can sometimes develop as a form of protection, often from early experiences that shape the way we relate to support, vulnerability, and connection.

Our two listener dilemmas uncover the psychological patterns behind defensive independence and the fear of being a burden, and how both can quietly lead to isolation.

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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]

In honour of International Women’s Day, Dial Emma presents The Unsaid – a four-part mini-series exploring the emotional realities many women are living with, but rarely have language for. Each episode features two listener dilemmas and twenty minutes of thoughtful, compassionate reflection on the inner work women are doing beneath the surface of competence, independence and survival.

In this week's episode, I explore the unseen emotional burdens women often carry for others. Many of us become “emotional regulators,” constantly soothing, managing, and fixing for family, friends and even colleagues, but it's often at the cost of our own wellbeing.

I dive into why this pattern forms, how resentment and guilt signal crossed boundaries, and the crucial distinction between being present and being responsible for others’ feelings. I also share some practical strategies for caring without carrying, including setting boundaries, tolerating discomfort, and how to let relationships wobble without collapsing.

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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]

In honour of International Women’s Day, Dial Emma presents The Unsaid – a four-part mini-series exploring the emotional realities many women are living with, but rarely have language for. Each episode features two listener dilemmas and twenty minutes of thoughtful, compassionate reflection on the inner work women are doing beneath the surface of competence, independence and survival.

This first instalment explores a theme that resonates deeply for many of us: doing objectively well in life, but still feeling wrong beneath it all.

Our first dilemma comes from a listener who says that nothing is wrong in her life, but something about it doesn't feel right, either. Our second listener feels like she has ticked every box, but finds herself contending with a sense of itchiness and dissatisfaction.

In this episode, I explore functional freeze, delayed desire, the pressure to feel grateful, and the quiet awakening of something more honest beneath achievement.

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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 on the podcast, I'm responding to a listener dilemma all about empathy - and who better to help me answer it than an integrative psychotherapist who describes herself as someone who 'empathises for a living,' Aimee Cliff.

Aimee joins me to explore the complexities of empathy, emotional sensitivity, and the challenges faced by those who feel deeply for others. We discuss the burden of emotional intuition, the importance of setting boundaries, and the impact of childhood experiences on one's ability to manage empathy. Aimee also emphasises the importance of self-care, and understanding the difference between genuine emotional connection and anxiety-driven responses.

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

To pre-order Aimee's book, click here.

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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]