Welcome to Freelance Feels, the podcast for humans who work for themselves.

This is a bonus episode to mark Mental health awareness week 2020, which runs from May 18. The theme this year is kindness, and I was lucky enough to chat to Chris O’Sullivan from the Mental Health Foundation, which founded and runs the initiative. Kindness is on all our minds right now, during the coronavirus pandemic, and one of the week’s themes is to be kind to ourselves, too.

Chris talks about his own mental health challenges as well as those we face in freelance life and staff jobs – including the ‘lure’ of freelance work which often rears its head (I’m sure it’s tempted many of those listening, too)

We explore the concept of kindness for freelancers in particular, looking at the challenges we face and how kindness isn’t synonymous with doing too much for other people and burning out!

Find more about the week at mentalhealth.org.uk and you can get involved using the hashtag #KindnessMatters

It’s the final episode of season 2 and I chatted to Psychotherapist and author of The Phone Addiction Workbook, Hilda Burke, about our relationships with our smartphones and screens, especially during lockdown.

Hilda shares practical advice for anyone wanting to change their amount of phone use – now and in the future (yes, it includes turning your phone off before bed time!) – plus zoom fatigue and adapting to her business going completely online during coronavirus lockdown.

Hilda works with inmates at Wormwood Scrubs prison in London, and has written about a project with prisoners and rescue dogs which is a fantastic read: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2020/apr/19/pets-in-prison-the-rescue-dogs-teaching-californian-inmates-trust-and-responsibility

Find her other work and details of her business and the book at http://hildaburke.co.uk/

This episode I talk to Nicola Slawson, a journalist who also writes a weekly newsletter, The Single Supplement.

We talk about living alone, being single and being freelance all at the same time, the joy of writing a newsletter and what they might bring to your career.

Nicola shares about her work with Press Pad, an initiative that helps find accommodation for trainee journalists on internships.

This is a great chat for anyone who is considering a newsletter and wants inspiration! It might also inspire you to move out of London or a big city - as Nicola has recently done!

Find The Single Supplement at https://thesinglesupplement.substack.com/ It's also a Facebook community -https://www.facebook.com/groups/thesinglesupplement/

It's another bonus episode! I talk mental health and exercise with trainer Julia, who is running weekday online workouts during the coronavirus lockdown.

She shares her insight on why we should try exercise right now, how to get started and the positives of being out in the fresh air every day.

Julia worked in local radio and at the BBC before moving into personal training, which is now her main 'freelance' and she's got loads of positive advice on exercising.

Find Julia's workouts at https://www.facebook.com/juliabuckley.co.uk

Jennifer is the creative brains behind the Freelance Feels podcast logo! We first 'met' on instagram and then in person at IPSE's National Freelancers Day, and she chats to me about networking, reaching out to new clients using good old snail mail, as well as how she's coping during Coronavirus lockdown by cooking pizza from scratch and thanks to the company of her two dogs.

Jennifer is an illustrator and lettering artist and her work is vibrant and fun - she can even do you a pet portrait! Find her athttps://www.jenniferhines.design/ or on instagram @abctypography

This episode was recorded just before Easter 2020, with TV producer Adeel Amini.

Adeel went viral earlier in 2020 after he posted an article about his experiences with mental health and working as a freelancer, and he’s very honest about his feelings on freelancing and how much help freelancers get in the industry. You can read his piece here https://medium.com/@adeelamini/on-the-border-of-34-a5154326cd9

He’s aiming to change things with his platform The TV Mindset, and talks me through his journey through depression and anxiety to being diagnosed with borderline personality disorder as well as offering advice for anyone struggling with anxiety, whether that’s financial, professional or personal.

If you'd like to know more on the TV Mindset, head to https://www.facebook.com/groups/thetvmindset/ 

This episode, which was recorded in late March 2020, is with Alison Grade, author of new book The Freelance Bible.

We unpack the working from home feels – when you’re a freelancer, and if it’s new to you as someone who is normally office based, and how working from home is like the first day in a new job and takes time to adjust.

Talking about how to value yourself - not just what you charge but the value you bring to a customer, too – we look at how to maximise your down time if you are in an industry that’s gone into hibernation because of the coronavirus pandemic and finding balance right now.

Alison is running webinars and you can find out more via Eventbrite or her website at alisongrade.com

Shahroo Izadi who is a behavioural change specialist, author of The Last Diet and The Kindness Method and does a lot of public speaking at wellness events. We met at an event called What the Health and I was so pleased Shahroo had time to chat to me about everything from freelance exercise and eating habits to the concept of a 'have done' list.

You can find Shahroo at  https://www.shahrooizadi.co.uk/ and on Instagram @shahroo_izadi

Note: This was recorded pre government advice to stay at home and socially isolate!

I spoke to Ed Goodman for a special bonus episode during the coronavirus pandemic to discuss his platform Freelance Heroes, as well as finding balance when working from home, how we define success and how it's ok to shout about the wins as well as the losses.

Ed shares his isolation survival strategy and also talks about his work as a social media trainer.

You can find Freelance Heroes on Facebook (look for the group not the page) and @FHChat on Twitter where they do a weekly Q&A

Bonjour! Welcome to this international episode where I spoke to Rebecca from her Chateau in France - she and husband Tim are two of the stars of Channel 4's Escape to the Chateau DIY and she shared their journey to setting up as a freelance couple, the highs and lows of leaving 'real' life behind (she's never worked so hard!) and the joys of running a boutique B&B.

Find the chateau at https://chateaudelaruche.com/ and the new series of ETTC-DIY is on Channel 4, with old episodes on More 4. Be warned, though, you might end up buying a chateau!