Vicky Stead was fostered at the age of 9 years old, following the murder of her mother in the family home. She talks of her feelings of injustice regarding what happened and how she has grown up with a clear sense of right and wrong. In this honest and thought-provoking episode, Vicky talks about a childhood with a sense of being a 'silent observer' but, even through it all, she's at a place of mental health where she knows she is truly okay.  Vicky can be contacted via Facebook:

Richard Capriola is a retired Addictions Counsellor and the author of the award-winning book: The Addicted Child: A Parent's Guide to Adolescent Substance Abuse. We discuss the impact of addiction on the young person and the parent. His message is one of hope and his goal is to educate and inform parents about this challenging and painful topic.

Shannon Parola lives in the San Francisco Bay area and is a career nanny, new-born care specialist and sleep consultant ... as well as a self-professed nerd! She discusses her experience of becoming a new mum and thinking she'd have all the answers, but this didn't end up being the case.

Sally and Alex Palmer, mother and son, speak candidly about how Cystic Fibrosis has affected them as individuals and as a family.  I first met Alex when he was a student and we have remained in touch ever since. He is one of the most inspiring people I've ever met. This episode lasts longer than usual but it was too beautiful to end early. Sally reads out Emily Perl Kingsley's poem: 'Welcome to Holland'.

Elizabeth Lovius is a leadership consultant who works with top level leadership teams and has done for more than 30 years. But she feels her true qualifications for leadership coaching come from being a parent. Here, she talks about the roots we provide for our children to enable them to fly the nest. Contact Elizabeth on leadershipwisdom.info

Dr Orlena trained in paediatrics and helps families to lead a healthy life by focusing on the parents' health habits and then, in turn, focusing on their children's healthy lifestyles.  She says she hopes to "help families create healthy habits they love so they can feel fit and fabulous without having to think about it."

Toby Hayter, mid-20s and living in London, talks about risk taking and the anxiety he felt when things didn't go to plan. He gives us an honest view of how he managed this challenging time, the support he received from his family and the steps he took to come through it. He knew that the answer was within him and how he thrived once he saw that for himself. [email protected]

Laura looks back on her childhood and explains how confusing it was to witness the abuse within her parents' marriage. She talks of the 'rules' and the consequences of ignoring them. She discusses her fear of not knowing who to trust, or who to turn to for help and how she ended up siding with her dad.  This moving podcast follows Part 1: Debs' story and you are encouraged to listen to both.

Part 1: Deb Simmons talks about her escape from ongoing abuse within her marriage and the affect this had on her children. She chats candidly about the role her daughter, Laura, played as the 'spy' for her father. This is a gripping episode and will be followed by Part 2: where Laura discusses her experience of the same story.  Deb can be contacted at www.Dare2BU.co.uk

A mother and daughter, Rebecca Perkins and Bea Arscott, openly share their experience of Bea’s anorexia. They talk of fear, loss of trust and lack of control, seeing her mum as a ‘prison guard’ and then, ultimately, seeing through the eating disorder. This is a story of hope and unconditional love. Together, they are the authors of the book Recovery From Within; a powerful story sharing their journeys of self-discovery. Rebecca and Bea can be contacted on