Today's guest is Hope Virgo, a multi award winning mental health campaigner, an author and an international leading advocate for people with eating disorders. For four years, Hope managed to keep her own battle with anorexia a secret from her friends and family. But on the 17th of November 2007, her world changed forever, and she was admitted to a mental health hospital. Hope then face the biggest challenge of her life and had to dig deep to find the courage to beat her anorexia.

Fast forward and hope is thriving with the tools she's developed to maintain her recovery, and she now supports many others in doing the same. She has become a vocal advocate against such factors as BMI and determining treatment and is the founder of the Dump the Scales campaign. She has now transformed her experience into a practical guide for eating disorder sufferers and is now the author of several books which look to the future through actionable advice. I greatly admire the way she reflects on her own personal battles and highlights the importance of coping mechanisms for strong mental health. I can only hope this episode is helpful for those of you who might just need to hear this conversation today and will reinforce the fact that recovery is possible.

Find Hope Virgo:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hopevirgo_/?hl=en

Books: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hope-Virgo/e/B01NBIRW4V%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share

Follow Hurt to Healing on Instagram: @hurttohealingpod

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A big thank you our wonderful charity partner Shout. Shout is the UK's first 24/7 mental health text support service so if you’re struggling or in need of someone to talk to, please remember to text Shout to 85258. 

Thank you to our corporate supporter, Brown Advisory, a global investment management firm which is passionate about raising awareness of mental health challenges in order to help people thrive in an ever-changing world.

Stay Connected with Hurt to Healing:

Instagram: instagram.com/hurttohealingpod

YouTube: youtube.com/@hurttohealingpod

TikTok: tiktok.com/@hurttohealingpod

Substack: substack.com/@hurttohealing

Website: hurttohealing.co.uk

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

On today’s Healing 101, I am speaking to Dr Lee Valls, a counselling psychologist and the Clinical Director of The London Practice. Today I will be asking him about the subject of EMDR, eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing which hit the headlines in 2021 after Prince Harry shared it was one of the forms of therapy he worked with to move through the impact of trauma he experienced as a child. Lee is an EMDR practitioner and the perfect person to explain how this particular therapy works, the benefits of this practice and how it can support people living with trauma, phobias, anxiety and depression too.

Find Dr Lee Valls:

Website: https://www.thelondonpractice.com/practitioners/dr-lee-valls

Follow Hurt to Healing on Instagram:

@hurttohealingpod

A big thank you our wonderful charity partner Shout. Shout is the UK's first 24/7 mental health text support service so if you’re struggling or in need of someone to talk to, please remember to text Shout to 85258. 

Thank you to our corporate supporter, Brown Advisory, a global investment management firm which is passionate about raising awareness of mental health challenges in order to help people thrive in an ever-changing world.

Stay Connected with Hurt to Healing:

Instagram: instagram.com/hurttohealingpod

YouTube: youtube.com/@hurttohealingpod

TikTok: tiktok.com/@hurttohealingpod

Substack: substack.com/@hurttohealing

Website: hurttohealing.co.uk

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

Today, I'm speaking to Rachel Kelly, a mental health campaigner and writer who in her early thirties was diagnosed with severe depression and suffered from two major depressive episodes. These two episodes have become the defining events of her life. Since then, she's written about the condition and her recovery and books have been read by tens of thousands of people. Her memoir about her experience of life threatening depression. Black Rainbow: How Words Healed Me, My Journey Through Depression was a Sunday Times best seller in 2014 and has resonated ever since.

Rachel is also a huge advocate for food, being a part of our mental health toolkit and co-authored a book called The Happy Kitchen Good Mood Food, which is full of recipes that helped her to feel more energised, less anxious and more balanced. Since recovering from depression, Rachel speaks publicly about her experience to help educate others and to break down the stigma around mental health. She also shares evidence based strategies on how to stay calm, which is incredibly important in today's upside down world. I hope this conversation will help you all to see how small lifestyle changes can have a huge impact.

Find Rachel:

Website: https://www.rachel-kelly.net/about-rachel

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachelfkelly/

Books: https://www.rachel-kelly.net/books

Follow Hurt to Healing on Instagram: @hurttohealingpod

--

A big thank you our wonderful charity partner Shout. Shout is the UK's first 24/7 mental health text support service so if you’re struggling or in need of someone to talk to, please remember to text Shout to 85258. 

Thank you to our corporate supporter, Brown Advisory, a global investment management firm which is passionate about raising awareness of mental health challenges in order to help people thrive in an ever-changing world.

Stay Connected with Hurt to Healing:

Instagram: instagram.com/hurttohealingpod

YouTube: youtube.com/@hurttohealingpod

TikTok: tiktok.com/@hurttohealingpod

Substack: substack.com/@hurttohealing

Website: hurttohealing.co.uk

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

On today's HEALING 101, I am speaking to Dr. Tom Graham, a counselling psychologist and CBT therapist at Oxford Health Specialist Psychological Intervention Center. Many of you might have heard of the term CBT, but not a lot of people actually know what it is. I thought it was important for Dr. Graham to come on to the podcast to explain CBT in simple terms and how it can help manage many mental health disorders by changing the way you think and behave. The examples he uses a brilliant and I think will resonate with a lot of you.

Find Dr Tom Graham:

https://slam.nhs.uk/experts/?consultant=418&letter=G

Twitter: https://twitter.com/drtomgraham

Follow Hurt to Healing on Instagram:

@hurttohealingpod

A big thank you our wonderful charity partner Shout. Shout is the UK's first 24/7 mental health text support service so if you’re struggling or in need of someone to talk to, please remember to text Shout to 85258. 

Thank you to our corporate supporter, Brown Advisory, a global investment management firm which is passionate about raising awareness of mental health challenges in order to help people thrive in an ever-changing world.

Stay Connected with Hurt to Healing:

Instagram: instagram.com/hurttohealingpod

YouTube: youtube.com/@hurttohealingpod

TikTok: tiktok.com/@hurttohealingpod

Substack: substack.com/@hurttohealing

Website: hurttohealing.co.uk

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

I am so thrilled to be kicking off Season 2 with the one and only Ruby Wax. Ruby has been a dream guest of mine since I had my first thought about starting this podcast. Ruby famously left her career in comedy 25 years ago to seek a way to fix her reoccurring bouts of depression. Ruby has been very open about her struggles with bipolar disorder and depression, going on to study a Master’s degree in mindfulness-based cognitive therapy at Oxford University and has since become a devout mental health campaigner.

Ruby is now a bestselling author of mental health and runs Frazzled Cafe: an online space for people to connect when they’re not feeling ok. In this episode, Ruby talks about fascinating issues around mental health, the science behind why we might feel ‘frazzled’ and the impact that mindfulness has had on her depression. 

Find more information on Ruby Wax:

Website: https://www.rubywax.net/

Books: https://www.rubywax.net/books

Frazzled Cafe: https://www.frazzledcafe.org/

Follow Hurt to Healing on Instagram: @hurttohealingpod

--

A big thank you our wonderful charity partner Shout. Shout is the UK's first 24/7 mental health text support service so if you’re struggling or in need of someone to talk to, please remember to text Shout to 85258. 

Thank you to our corporate supporter, Brown Advisory, a global investment management firm which is passionate about raising awareness of mental health challenges in order to help people thrive in an ever-changing world.

Stay Connected with Hurt to Healing:

Instagram: instagram.com/hurttohealingpod

YouTube: youtube.com/@hurttohealingpod

TikTok: tiktok.com/@hurttohealingpod

Substack: substack.com/@hurttohealing

Website: hurttohealing.co.uk

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

On today's Healing 101 I'll be talking all things Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, ADHD, with Kristen Carder, an ADHD expert, a top podcast host, and an internationally recognised life coach for adults with ADHD. Kristen has been studying ADHD and its effects on students and adults for over a decade and has had the privilege of running directly from leading psychiatrists and psychologists in the industry. I'm so pleased to get the opportunity to talk to her today and to learn so much more about this disorder.

Find more information on Kristin:

Website: https://ihaveadhd.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/i.have.adhd.podcast/

Podcast: https://ihaveadhd.com/podcast/

Support for people with ADHD: https://adhduk.co.uk/

Follow Hurt to Healing on Instagram:

@hurttohealingpod

--

A big thank you our wonderful charity partner Shout. Shout is the UK's first 24/7 mental health text support service so if you’re struggling or in need of someone to talk to, please remember to text Shout to 85258. 

Thank you to our corporate supporter, Brown Advisory, a global investment management firm which is passionate about raising awareness of mental health challenges in order to help people thrive in an ever-changing world.

Stay Connected with Hurt to Healing:

Instagram: instagram.com/hurttohealingpod

YouTube: youtube.com/@hurttohealingpod

TikTok: tiktok.com/@hurttohealingpod

Substack: substack.com/@hurttohealing

Website: hurttohealing.co.uk

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

On today's episode, I'm thrilled to be joined by Leanne Maskell, the bestselling author of three books, The Model Manifesto, ADHD an A to Z, and her most recent book, The Reality Manifesto. She is also a model, an ADHD coach and legal activist who currently works with companies to increase ADHD awareness and improve mental well-being in the workplace. I am so thrilled to have Leanne join us this week to speak about her own experience and to raise awareness about this very important and under-discussed topic.

Find more information on Leanne Maskell:

Website: https://leannemaskell.com/

Instagram: @leannemaskell

Books: https://leannemaskell.com/resources

Follow Hurt to Healing on Instagram: @hurttohealingpod

--

A big thank you our wonderful charity partner Shout. Shout is the UK's first 24/7 mental health text support service so if you’re struggling or in need of someone to talk to, please remember to text Shout to 85258. 

This episode is sponsored by Boden, a British brand that has championed uplifting, eclectic British style since it was founded 31 years ago. Head to Boden.com to check out their new autumn collection or to their Instagram @boden_clothing.

Thank you to our corporate supporter, Brown Advisory, a global investment management firm which is passionate about raising awareness of mental health challenges in order to help people thrive in an ever-changing world.

Stay Connected with Hurt to Healing:

Instagram: instagram.com/hurttohealingpod

YouTube: youtube.com/@hurttohealingpod

TikTok: tiktok.com/@hurttohealingpod

Substack: substack.com/@hurttohealing

Website: hurttohealing.co.uk

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

On today's Healing 101 I am speaking to Dr Amita Jassi, a consultant, clinical psychologist at the National and Specialist OCD, BDD and Related Disorder Service for Children and Young People. Body dysmorphic disorder affects about one in 50 people. We discuss why it's such a debilitating condition, why there is a lack of insight into it and I ask her about what treatment and therapies are available. If you or someone you know may be struggling to cope with it, if you haven't already, I would also highly recommend you listen to my conversation with Charlie King as he speaks so eloquently about the condition.

Amita is a trustee of the BDD Foundation.

Please find more information on the BDD Foundation here: https://bddfoundation.org/

Follow Hurt to Healing on Instagram:

@hurttohealingpod

A big thank you our wonderful charity partner Shout. Shout is the UK's first 24/7 mental health text support service so if you’re struggling or in need of someone to talk to, please remember to text Shout to 85258. 

Thank you to our corporate supporter, Brown Advisory, a global investment management firm which is passionate about raising awareness of mental health challenges in order to help people thrive in an ever-changing world.

Stay Connected with Hurt to Healing:

Instagram: instagram.com/hurttohealingpod

YouTube: youtube.com/@hurttohealingpod

TikTok: tiktok.com/@hurttohealingpod

Substack: substack.com/@hurttohealing

Website: hurttohealing.co.uk

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

If you're a big fan of reality TV, some of you might be familiar with my next guest. Charlie King was once famed for his role on The Only Way Is Essex and known best for his very dramatic relationship with the one and only Gemma Collins. The series followed his attempts to become more of a man as he started changing what he wore and how he spoke in a bid to fit in. He then had a brief departure from the show during which time he came out as being gay.

Since leaving the show in 2015, he has struggled with both depression and body dysmorphic disorder. The pandemic was a challenging time for all of us. And Charlie admits that psychologically he was not in a good place, which led him to get surgery on his nose. Charlie now uses his platform to call for mental health awareness on this issue, and I'm so glad to be able to get the chance to talk to him about it today.

Charlie King is an ambassador for the Body Dysmorphia Foundation: https://bddfoundation.org/

Follow Hurt to Healing on Instagram: @hurttohealingpod

--

A big thank you our wonderful charity partner Shout. Shout is the UK's first 24/7 mental health text support service so if you’re struggling or in need of someone to talk to, please remember to text Shout to 85258. 

This episode is sponsored by Boden, a British brand that has championed uplifting, eclectic British style since it was founded 31 years ago. Head to Boden.com to check out their new autumn collection or to their Instagram @boden_clothing.

Thank you to our corporate supporter, Brown Advisory, a global investment management firm which is passionate about raising awareness of mental health challenges in order to help people thrive in an ever-changing world.

Stay Connected with Hurt to Healing:

Instagram: instagram.com/hurttohealingpod

YouTube: youtube.com/@hurttohealingpod

TikTok: tiktok.com/@hurttohealingpod

Substack: substack.com/@hurttohealing

Website: hurttohealing.co.uk

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

On today's Healing 101 I am joined by Dr. Timothy Fong, a clinical professor of psychiatry at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behaviour at UCLA. Dr. Fong specialises in addiction and today I am asking him about gambling disorders and why they're becoming increasingly prevalent in today's society. I asked him about how these disorders develop, what the signs are that someone's gambling is becoming a problem, and what impact gambling can have on our mental health. While it might be referred to as a hidden illness because there are no obvious signs or symptoms. The addiction is very similar to that of drugs and alcohol and I think it's important we understand the science behind why gambling is so addictive.

Find more information on gambling disorders: https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/mental-health/problems-disorders/gambling-disorder

NHS Support: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/addiction-support/gambling-addiction/

Follow Hurt to Healing on Instagram:

@hurttohealingpod

--

A big thank you our wonderful charity partner Shout. Shout is the UK's first 24/7 mental health text support service so if you’re struggling or in need of someone to talk to, please remember to text Shout to 85258. 

This episode is sponsored by Boden, a British brand that has championed uplifting, eclectic British style since it was founded 31 years ago. Head to Boden.com to check out their new autumn collection or to their Instagram @boden_clothing.

Thank you to our corporate supporter, Brown Advisory, a global investment management firm which is passionate about raising awareness of mental health challenges in order to help people thrive in an ever-changing world.

Stay Connected with Hurt to Healing:

Instagram: instagram.com/hurttohealingpod

YouTube: youtube.com/@hurttohealingpod

TikTok: tiktok.com/@hurttohealingpod

Substack: substack.com/@hurttohealing

Website: hurttohealing.co.uk

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