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Joining Anna on the podcast this week is the legendary dancer and choreographer Dame Arlene Phillips. From humble beginnings in Manchester, she ended up at dance school in London, where she worked as a live-in nanny for none other than film director Ridley Scott in order to get by. From there, she gained stratospheric success in dance and choreography - and her groundbreaking dance troupe, Hot Gossip, made her a household name in the 70s.

As a choreographer and director, her credits include countless shows in the West End, on Broadway, and in film - and her music video credits read like the playlist for the greatest party of all time: Elton John, Donna Summer, Pet Shop Boys, Whitney Houston…you name it, she’s worked with them. She was one of the original judges on Strictly Come Dancing, and she even braved the jungle on I’m A Celebrity...

Arlene is now in her 80s and is still working on musicals like Guys and Dolls and Grease. She talks to Anna about how dance is the greatest passion of her life and what it brings to her, how social standards and expectations for women are unfair, particularly when they get older, and what ambition looks like for her now at 81.

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This week Anna is joined by clinical psychologist Dr Hazel Harrison to discuss a listener's experience of her on/off relationship which she's starting to realise is unhealthy. Anna and Dr Hazel discuss the potential impact of this kind of relationship, how our attachment styles can affect how we interact with loved ones, and offer some gentle advice for navigating tricky situations like this.

If you have a dilemma or situation you'd like discussed, reach out to Anna by emailing [email protected] or DM her on Instagram @itcantjustbemepod

Nothing is off limits, we’re open to it all, from your mental health, to dating, to your sex life to addiction…all of the challenges and hurdles that life throws at you - It's Not Just You is a place for you to find some practical advice and support.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Anna's guest this week, Laura Adlington, shot to fame as a finalist on the 2020 series of the Great British Bake Off. In the midst of the pandemic, she brought some light in the darkness of that horrible year with her sharp wit, especially in the face of culinary disaster (whatever you do, don’t mention ice cream cake).

Since then, baking has taken a backseat. These days, she's an outspoken writer, presenter and campaigner around body image. Her Instagram has become a powerful platform encouraging her followers to “get off the hamster wheel of body hatred” – and it’s won her a legion of fans. She talks to Anna about just how early her introduction to diet culture was, the tipping point that made her pursue body neutrality, and how researching her book, Diet Starts Monday, opened her eyes to weight stigma.

Every Friday Anna, alongside a panel of experts, will be addressing YOUR dilemmas in our brand new episodes ‘It’s Not Just You'! If you have a dilemma or situation you'd like discussed, reach out to Anna by emailing [email protected] or DM her on Instagram @itcantjustbemepod

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Anna is joined by clinical psychologist Dr Soph, aka Dr Sophie Mort, to answer a listener dilemma. This person is feeling like they've lost their sense of direction in life, but they also sense themselves getting in their own way in the process of trying to rediscover it. Dr Soph offers some positive, practical and simple advice and exercises that anyone feeling similiarly can try themselves at home.

If you have a dilemma or situation you'd like discussed, reach out to Anna by emailing [email protected] or DM her on Instagram @itcantjustbemepod

Nothing is off limits, we’re open to it all, from your mental health, to dating, to your sex life to addiction…all of the challenges and hurdles that life throws at you - It's Not Just You is a place for you to find some practical advice and support.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Anna's guest this week is Ashley James: woman full of contradictions. Originally from a working class family in Northumberland, she won a scholarship to boarding school where she had to change her accent to fit in, and had a friend with a castle who quite literally rubbed shoulders with royalty. She found fame via Made in Chelsea, and it's been hard graft since then: she’s DJ’d all over the world, built up an impressive broadcasting career, and is now a regular on This Morning. Over the past decade she’s become increasingly known for her outspoken work around the double standards affecting women in the media, and she's here to talk about what it’s really like being a woman in the public eye, and the cost of what our cultural objectification of women has had on us.

If you or someone you know is struggling with any of the topics discussed in It Can’t Just Be Me, you can find useful resources and support here: https://audioalways.lnk.to/ItcantjustbemeIG.

Every Friday Anna, alongside a panel of experts, will be addressing YOUR dilemmas in our brand new episodes ‘It’s Not Just You'! If you have a dilemma or situation you'd like discussed, reach out to Anna by emailing [email protected] or DM her on Instagram @itcantjustbemepod

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Anna is joined by psychotherapist Sam Pennells-Nkolo to discuss a listener question. Lou is in her 50s and very happy with her life, but her husband wants to relocate from the city to the country. Does getting older mean we automatically want a slower pace of life? And how do we navigate big decisions where ultimately people want different things without compromising a loving relationship? Sam has some excellent advice to share.

If you have a dilemma or situation you'd like discussed, reach out to Anna by emailing [email protected] or DM her on Instagram @itcantjustbemepod

Nothing is off limits, we’re open to it all, from your mental health, to dating, to your sex life to addiction…all of the challenges and hurdles that life throws at you - It's Not Just You is a place for you to find some practical advice and support.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Anna's guest this week is the one and only Lou Sanders. Anyone who's seen Lou's live shows, watched her on TV or read her memoir What's That Lady Doing? will know that she doesn't shy away from frankness – it's part of her signature candid style of comedy. But there's a deeper meaning to it as well, as she tells Anna: being honest about difficult situations is how you can get through them. She shares why choosing sobriety was essential, what alternative therapies have brought to her life and why she's starting every morning in the sauna.

If you or someone you know is struggling with any of the topics discussed in It Can’t Just Be Me, you can find useful resources and support here: https://audioalways.lnk.to/ItcantjustbemeIG.

Every Friday Anna, alongside a panel of experts, will be addressing YOUR dilemmas in our brand new episodes ‘It’s Not Just You'! If you have a dilemma or situation you'd like discussed, reach out to Anna by emailing [email protected] or DM her on Instagram @itcantjustbemepod

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In these weekly episodes of 'It's Not Just You', each week Anna will be joined by a different expert to explore the issues and dilemmas that are affecting you. No guests, just your dilemmas discussed by Anna and her expert.

This week, Anna is joined by Dr Shirin Lakhani to answer a listener's question about recovery after childbirth – both physical and emotional. It's very normal to need extended time to recover after birth before having sex again, but there are many misplaced expectations and ideas around 'bouncing back'. Dr Lakhani is here to reassure anyone going through similar that you should take all the time you need.

If you have a dilemma or situation you'd like discussed, reach out to Anna by emailing [email protected] or DM her on Instagram @itcantjustbemepod

Nothing is off limits, we’re open to it all, from your mental health, to dating, to your sex life to addiction…all of the challenges and hurdles that life throws at you - It's Not Just You is a place for you to find some practical advice and support.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joining Anna this week is Lu Featherstone: a self-proclaimed former wild child, who turned ‘good wife’ and ‘good mother’, before throwing it all up in the air and reclaiming her freedom once again – this time, in her 50s. Feeling trapped after trying to squeeze herself into roles that didn’t feel true to who she really was, she finally exploded out of the box she’d found herself in, and embraced an avalanche of rainbow sequins, huge sunglasses and naked photos in the wild. Lu's story is familiar to so many people finding themselves struggling at this point in life; she shares with Anna why she thinks midlife is so difficult, particularly for women, how she came to find her true self again, and how a unsolicited cheeky picture turned into a catalyst for her new life taking off.

If you or someone you know is struggling with any of the topics discussed in It Can’t Just Be Me, you can find useful resources and support here: https://audioalways.lnk.to/ItcantjustbemeIG.

Every Friday Anna, alongside a panel of experts, will be addressing YOUR dilemmas in our brand new episodes ‘It’s Not Just You'! If you have a dilemma or situation you'd like discussed, reach out to Anna by emailing [email protected] or DM her on Instagram @itcantjustbemepod

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.