In this episode of Compassion in a T-Shirt, I’m joined by psychologists, writers, and podcasters Emma Waddington and Chris McCurry, the voices behind the podcast Life’s Little Secrets.

Emma and Chris and I talk about how they first met and began working together, what drew them into collaboration, and how a shared curiosity about the inner lives of humans led to the creation of Life’s Little Secrets. We explore the cost of hiding our thoughts and feelings, the relief that can come from being heard, and the role compassion plays in helping us live with vulnerability rather than shame.

We also spend time talking about their work writing for children and families, including their ACT-based workbooks and story-driven books that help young people (and their parents) make sense of big emotions like anxiety, sadness, frustration, and disappointment. Throughout the conversation, Emma and Chris share wisdom drawn from therapy, writing, podcasting, and life — thoughtful, grounded, and deeply human.

This is a wide-ranging, reflective conversation about common humanity, emotional courage, and what can change when we feel understood rather than judged.

Timestamps

00:00 Introduction and welcome

01:46 How Emma and Chris first met and began working together

06:26 The privilege of psychological work and seeing our shared humanity

11:58 Why Life’s Little Secrets — and what we hide

19:15 The psychological cost of keeping things hidden

29:35 The power of being heard and meeting vulnerability with compassion

30:52 Introducing the ACT workbook series for children

31:57 Story-driven approaches to anxiety, sadness, and frustration

35:04 Big Issues for Little People: helping families navigate tough questions

39:31 Story, illustration, and empathy

40:31 Disappointment, big feelings, and making room for what is

42:07 Learning, growth, and being a lifelong student of humanity

45:37 Developing a compassionate relationship with ourselves

51:14 Final reflections and words of wisdom

Links:

For Dr Waddington’s contact, books, resources and trainings, go to her website:

https://www.dremmawaddington.com/

For Dr McCurry’s contact, books, resources and trainings, go to his website:

https://chrismccurrychildpsychologist.com/

If you would like to learn more about compassion focused therapy, you can find Dr Stan Steindl's book The Gifts of Compassion here: https://www.ausapress.com/p/the-gifts-of-compassion-how-to-understand-and-overcome-suffering/

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Video hashtags:

compassion, selfcompassion, mentalhealth, psychology, humansbeinghuman, lifessecrets