On The Mend

TV personality and endurance athlete Spencer Matthews joins Matt Willis to talk openly about how alcohol quietly took over his life, from waking up drunk and lying to the people closest to him, to feeling isolated, ashamed, and completely disconnected from the person he wanted to be.

He shares how drinking stopped being social and became something he was doing alone, and the moment that forced him to confront what was really going on. There’s no neat turning point, just the realisation that something had to change.

Spencer also reflects on channeling his addictive personality into endurance challenges, the structure that now keeps him on track, and the ongoing tension of replacing one obsession with another.

This episode covers the following themes: addiction, shame, relationships, identity, recovery, discipline, and transformation.

Need Support?

Samaritans: Call 116 123 or visit samaritans.org

Narcotics Anonymous: na.org

Alcoholics Anonymous: alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk

Mental Health Mates: mentalhealthmates.co.uk

Shout: https: giveusashout.org

IAPT: https://www.england.nhs.uk/mental-health/adults/nhs-talking-therapies/

Heights👉 Join Matt in getting your energy back with Vitals. 20% off here: https://highpfrmc.com/au3-OTM20 

Randox Health 👉 Take care of your health today and into the future. Save 20% on all health checks now with the code OTM20 at: https://highpfrmc.com/OTM_Randox-au2

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

This week’s guest is Kathleen Saxton, who dives deep into the complexities of narcissism, family dynamics, and the painful journey of healing from childhood wounds.

Kathleen breaks down the three types of narcissists, ‘grandiose’, ‘covert’, and ‘malignant’, offering an eye-opening framework, particularly highlighting covert narcissists who use pity and victimhood for supply. She explores how children of narcissists often stop loving themselves, losing their sense of identity in the process, and how family roles like the golden child, scapegoat, and lost child perpetuate unhealthy patterns. Kathleen also explains why those raised by narcissistic parents tend to attract similar partners, as dysfunction feels like home.

Through practical tools like the "empty chair technique" and her three-step recovery roadmap: accept, have compassion for yourself, and design your future, Kathleen offers actionable steps to begin healing. 

This episode covers the following themes: narcissism, family dynamics, identity, healing, boundaries, and self-compassion.

Need Support?

Samaritans: Call 116 123 or visit samaritans.org

Narcotics Anonymous: na.org

Alcoholics Anonymous: alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk

Mental Health Mates: mentalhealthmates.co.uk

Shout: https: giveusashout.org

IAPT: https://www.england.nhs.uk/mental-health/adults/nhs-talking-therapies/

Heights👉 Join Matt in getting your energy back with Vitals. 20% off here: https://highpfrmc.com/au3-OTM20 

Randox Health 👉 Take care of your health today and into the future. Save 20% on all health checks now with the code OTM20 at: https://highpfrmc.com/OTM_Randox-au2

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

This week’s guest is Professor Green, who opens up about his journey of self-discovery, healing, and growth, and the ongoing process of learning from past mistakes.

Professor Green shares his struggles with shame and addiction, discussing how he broke free from the cycle of destructive behavior by rejecting the people who kept him stuck. He talks about his late diagnosis of ADHD and autism, which helped him understand his challenges and stop masking his true self.

He also discusses the power of taking ownership of his actions, the role of medication in his recovery, and his near-death experience with substance misuse. This episode covers the following themes: identity, shame, addiction, ADHD, autism, vulnerability, recovery, and transformation.

Listen to Professor Green’s new single, “No Management”

Need Support?

Samaritans: Call 116 123 or visit samaritans.org

Narcotics Anonymous: na.org

Alcoholics Anonymous: alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk

Mental Health Mates: mentalhealthmates.co.uk

Shout: https: giveusashout.org

IAPT: https://www.england.nhs.uk/mental-health/adults/nhs-talking-therapies/

Saily 👉 Download SAILY in your app store and use our code mend at checkout to get an exclusive 15% off your first purchase! For further details go to https://saily.com/mend

Heights👉 Join Matt in getting your energy back with Vitals. 20% off here: https://highpfrmc.com/au3-OTM20 

Randox Health 👉 Take care of your health today and into the future. Save 20% on all health checks now with the code OTM20 at: https://highpfrmc.com/OTM_Randox_au1

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

Have you ever realised that the biggest obstacle to your growth might be you?

In this solo episode, Matt Willis answers your questions and shares powerful moments from his personal journey through addiction, recovery, and the ongoing work of self-awareness. Matt talks about the emotional realisation he had when he understood he was the common denominator in all his drinking situations, and how being "emotionally young" in recovery has challenged him to confront feelings he once numbed with alcohol. 

He also shares the pivotal moment when Jack Osborne planted the seed for his decision to seek help and how rock bottom doesn’t always look like you’d expect. With practical recovery tools, including the "Fact or Thought" technique for managing negative self-talk, and the importance of self-compassion, Matt offers a raw and honest look at his journey. 

This episode is about embracing vulnerability, facing tough truths, and continuing to move forward, no matter how imperfect the process.

This episode covers the following themes: addiction, sobriety, self-awareness, and personal growth.

Heights👉 Join Matt in getting your energy back with Vitals. 20% off here: https://highpfrmc.com/au3-OTM20

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

This week’s guest is Arron Crascall, who shares his raw journey from struggling with addiction and low self-esteem to finding hope and transformation through surrender and honesty.

Arron talks about how he never felt comfortable in his own skin, always changing to fit in, and how his first drink at 17 gave him the feeling of being “alive” for the first time. He opens up about the long battle with alcohol, how he tried therapy, hypnotherapy, and changing environments, but nothing worked until he reached a breaking point, a family meal that made him realize he was about to lose everything. That moment became his turning point, and he found a higher power in a quiet voice telling him, “You ain’t gotta do this anymore, but you need help.”

This episode dives into the transformative power of the 12-step program, how Arron’s practice of gratitude helped shift his mindset, and the struggles he still faces, including guilt for missing parts of his kids’ lives. 

This episode covers the following themes: addiction, identity, surrender, guilt, recovery, and helping others.

Need Support?

Samaritans: Call 116 123 or visit samaritans.org

Narcotics Anonymous: na.org

Alcoholics Anonymous: alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk

Mental Health Mates: mentalhealthmates.co.uk

Shout: https: giveusashout.org

IAPT: https://www.england.nhs.uk/mental-health/adults/nhs-talking-therapies/

Saily 👉 Download SAILY in your app store and use our code mend at checkout to get an exclusive 15% off your first purchase! For further details go to https://saily.com/mend

Heights👉 Join Matt in getting your energy back with Vitals. 20% off here: https://highpfrmc.com/au3-OTM20 

Randox Health 👉 Take care of your health today and into the future. Save 20% on all health checks now with the code OTM20 at: https://highpfrmc.com/OTM_Randox_au1

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

This week’s guest is Amy Dowden, who shares her powerful journey through breast cancer, fertility struggles, and mental health challenges, a story of resilience that’s messy, ongoing, and real.

Amy talks about returning to Strictly Come Dancing just months after chemotherapy, only to realise she was burying her trauma. When health complications forced her off the show, she hit rock bottom, lower than during her cancer treatment, but this became the turning point for true healing.

She opens up about the hidden battles she faced: sepsis, fertility decisions just weeks after marriage, and the cruelty of online trolls. But through it all, Amy found unexpected perspective shifts, learning to live with Crohn’s disease without constant anxiety, and discovering that recovery isn’t solitary, it’s built on community and connection.

Amy chose to share her journey publicly, not as a perfect survivor, but as someone still figuring it out. This episode is about falling apart, hitting rock bottom, and slowly finding your way forward through small wins, honesty, and refusing to face it alone.

This episode covers the following themes: cancer, recovery, vulnerability, and strength.

Amy Dowden and Carlos Gu are heading on tour as part of 'Amy and Carlos Reborn' later this year. To purchase tickets, click here: https://www.amyandcarlostour.co.uk/

Get Amy's book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dancing-Rain-story-courage-resilience/dp/0349442045

Heights👉 Join Matt in getting your energy back with Vitals. 20% off here: https://highpfrmc.com/au3-OTM20 

Randox Health 👉 Take care of your health today and into the future. Save 20% on all health checks now with the code OTM20 at: https://highpfrmc.com/OTM_Randoxhealth_au

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

This week’s guest is Davinia Taylor, who challenges the traditional narrative of addiction and opens up about her journey from shame and self-doubt to embracing recovery on her own terms.

In this episode, Davinia talks candidly about her realisation that addiction isn’t always tied to trauma, and how understanding the biochemical and genetic basis of her struggle, low dopamine, ADHD, and even Viking ancestry, helped remove the shame she once carried. She reframes addiction from a moral failing to a biological reality, offering a powerful shift in perspective.

Davinia also shares the truth about recovery: it’s messy, it’s imperfect, and it doesn’t always follow the rigid rules we’re told to follow. She opens up about the constant negotiation of active addiction and the exhaustion it creates, and the surprising discovery of true energy, not from alcohol, but through biohacking and ketones, which have become her source of fuel to live, not just survive.

Honest, raw, and deeply human, Davinia’s story is about rebuilding beyond perfection and finding peace in being imperfectly present for the people who matter most.

This episode covers the following themes: addiction, shame, self-acceptance, and vulnerability.

Simba mattresses 👉Great recovery starts with great sleep. That’s why On The Mend is powered by Simba. Start your 200-night trial & experience the Simba difference:

https://highpfrmc.com/OTM_Simba_AU

Heights👉 Join Matt in getting your energy back with Vitals. 20% off here: https://highpfrmc.com/au3-OTM20 

Randox Health 👉 Take care of your health today and into the future. Save 20% on all health checks now with the code OTM20 at: https://highpfrmc.com/OTM_Randoxhealth_au

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

This week’s guest is Sam Ryder, someone who knows the struggle of chasing a dream for years, only to face the crushing reality of near-misses and setbacks. For over 15 years, Sam toured the world in tiny vans, scraping by with borrowed hope, never knowing if success would come. But when the door finally cracked open, it did so with an unexpected, life-changing shift.

In this episode, Sam talks candidly about the long grind and how he found peace with failure before success even arrived. He shares the moment he made peace with the idea of never “making it,” the power of redefining what success truly means, and how, after years of struggle, he embraced gratitude as his new driving force.

This is a raw, honest conversation about the non-linear journey to success, the dangers of “okay jobs,” and why comfort can kill creativity. Sam reveals his decision to get sober and the importance of protecting his voice, his gift, while rejecting the toxic hustle culture that fuels so much of the music industry.

Simba mattresses 👉Great recovery starts with great sleep. That’s why On The Mend is powered by Simba. Start your 200-night trial & experience the Simba difference: https://highpfrmc.com/OTM_Simba_AU

Heights👉 Join Matt in getting your energy back with Vitals. 20% off here: https://highpfrmc.com/OTM

Randox Health 👉 Take care of your health today and into the future. Save 20% on all health checks now with the code OTM20 at: https://highpfrmc.com/OTM_Randoxhealth_au

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

Recovery isn’t a straight line, and Matt Willis reflects openly on what that reality has meant for him.

In this solo episode, Matt speaks candidly about addiction, recovery, and the long process of learning to live differently. He explores the moments that forced him to confront himself, the challenges of trying to change alone, and the ongoing work required to stay well.

Rather than offering simple answers, Matt discusses the uncertainty, setbacks, and searching that shaped his recovery, alongside the role of responsibility, trust, and fatherhood in helping him find steadier ground.

This is a thoughtful, honest conversation about resilience, accountability, and what it really means to commit to change, without shortcuts, and without pretending recovery is linear.

Simba mattresses 👉Great recovery starts with great sleep. That’s why On The Mend is powered by Simba. Start your 200-night trial & experience the Simba difference:

https://highpfrmc.com/OTM_Simba_AU

Heights👉 Join Matt in getting your energy back with Vitals. 20% off here: https://highpfrmc.com/OTM

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

This isn’t just a conversation, it’s a live experiment.

TJ Power challenges Matt Willis in real time to face the invisible addictions quietly draining his energy and to decide, on camera, what he’s willing to let go of to feel fully alive again.

From nicotine and endless scrolling to constant stimulation, Matt confronts habits he no longer enjoys but feels unable to escape. TJ also explains how these dopamine loops trap the brain, leaving us restless, flat, and disconnected from real fulfillment.

The moment turns personal when Matt reflects on his children. Without planning or performance, he makes a decisive choice, throwing away his vapes and committing to quit on the spot. TJ lays out the truth: every habit is a trade, between short-term dopamine and the life you actually want to live.

No polish, no easy answers, just an honest challenge to choose presence over numbness, freedom over avoidance, and courage over comfort.

Simba mattresses 👉Great recovery starts with great sleep. That’s why On The Mend is powered by Simba. Start your 200-night trial & experience the Simba difference:

https://highpfrmc.com/OTM_Simba_AU

Heights👉 Join Matt in getting your energy back with Vitals. 20% off here: https://highpfrmc.com/OTM

Need Support?

Samaritans: Call 116 123 or visit samaritans.org

Narcotics Anonymous: na.org

Alcoholics Anonymous: alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk

Mental Health Mates: mentalhealthmates.co.uk

Shout: https: giveusashout.org

IAPT: england.nhs.uk/mental-health/adults/nhs-talking-therapies/

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