Practice Makes Progress

This week I sat down with childhood friend Niall Galbally, to discuss his transition into adulthood where essentially he had to start again.., "not from zero, but from experience". Things that once consumed him, societal pressures and expectations of success, were instantly forgotten after the tragic passing of his Mum. Often it is the most painful experiences in life that push us to grow and both Niall and I can say with certainty, that only through these experiences have we found genuine happiness.

To round off Mental Health Awareness Week, I spoke with my close friend Shereen to discuss her battles with different mental health disorders. We talked addiction, trauma, grief and eating disorders as well as just the pure exhaustion that carrying that load has on you, whilst telling others and yourself "I'm fine".

Seven months sober, Angus & I talk through his transition into adulthood. Years of battling addiction before finally making the decision to abandon old habits and chase new ones. We chatted through his motivation to quit, inspiration to keep going as well as the new opportunities and improved quality of life that's come as a result. Angus is a strong advocate for mental health and has even started his own company encouraging those sober, or sober curious, to reach out, connect and share their own stories.

Katie and I met through a Facebook page designed to help young women before, during, or after their degrees. We share a similar outlook to life, especially during isolation, so we thought we'd share some anecdotes for anyone struggling with motivation/finding structure/general life qualms. Katie's taking on the double burden of new adulting responsibilities while coping through a pandemic and if there's anything to take away from the episode.. reach out! It's more important now than ever.

Not 1, but 4 girls' worth of dating disasters. From heartbreak to Hinge, Lizzie, Ang, Niamh and I spoke through it all. We celebrate finding strength and resilience after a messy breakup and giving dating another try, even when you were nervous to. Don't worry lads we kept names anonymous, but I think all the stories we told are great examples of how not to let these things define you and take seriously your self-worth as you date in the adult world.

One of the funniest and most down to earth people I know, Shrish & I have proper girly chat about the relationships we have with our bodies as we've started to adult. In a world that is so obsessed with how we look, not helped by social media, it's hard to be comfortable with how we look and not compare to other people.

Friends since the first week of uni, Dom & I chat about his transition into adulthood, where the stark reality of pursuing a creative career isn't as straightforward as it seemed as a student. Dom talks so openly about the challenges of the working world, addressing his loneliness and the times he's felt a little lost. Really great example of how to build yourself back up after a disappointment and not getting lost in comparisons to other people.

Technical difficulties, apologies. (Cont)

I met Sam at the hospitality job I work part-time while I study for my Masters and (hopefully) come out with a job in mental health care afterwards. Sammy studied animation at Uni in Bournemouth, but knew London was where he needed to be to secure that dream job. But how are we both coping knowing that this isn't what we want to do forever and finding the job hunt a little tougher than it seemed while studying.

"Roles I didn't want or expect to enjoy turned out to be some of my favourites". Recently touring the UK as part of a stage adaption of Holes, Grace Davey shares the highs and lows of her adulting as an actress so far. Talking so eloquently about grief, growth and resilience, Grace sends a reminder to us all that even when life doesn't turn out the way we envisaged, an opportunity presents itself to adapt, bare through it and you never know what might happen.