In this episode Toni reconnects with fellow journalist, Ruby Warrington. Ruby is also an author, publisher and podcast host who coined the term Sober Curious in 2016 to describe the process of self-inquiry that comes as a result of getting curious about why we drink and what life might look like on the other side.

This conversation is a brilliant reminder of all that we have to GAIN by removing alcohol; mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually.

In this episode we discuss:

- Ruby’s 10-year sobriety journey from ‘cocktail girl’ to the queen of the sober curious movement

- How a Dry Jan in 2013 was a turning point for her drinking

- How she used booze as a way to medicate difficult emotions and situations, including family dysfunction and social anxiety (and why being able to feel crap is so important)

- That the only thing we miss out on by not drinking is getting drunk (and the importance of asking ourselves why we feel that getting out of our head is valuable or necessary)

- How removing booze will give you more time, energy, self-awareness, clarity and self-trust, as well as better physical well-being, better sleep AND the best support system for deeper inner work and self-discovery

- How to use Dry Jan - or any sober stint - as an opportunity to investigate what really makes you happy (and the importance of writing this down)

- How to ride out cravings with sophisticated AF drinks

PODCAST NOTES + LINKS:

• Sober Curious by Ruby Warrington


• Sober Curious Reset by Ruby Warrington


• Sober Curious Podcast by Ruby Warrington


• Material Girl, Mystical World by Ruby Warrington

• INCASE OF EMERGENCY - PLEASE CALL 999


• SAMARITANS – 116 123


• SHOUT CRISIS SUPPORT - TEXT SHOUT TO 85258

In this episode Toni is joined by one of her favourite authors - and humans - Shahroo Izadi. Shahroo is a Behavioural Change Specialist and the author of two best-selling books, The Kindness Method and The Last Diet.

Shahroo isn’t sober, but her work is all about helping people to create healthy new habits using kindness and self-compassion - and that includes supporting people to change their relationship with alcohol.

Toni chose The Kindness Method, as a Shelf Help BOTM (book of the moment) back in 2018 after it had a huge impact on her, helping her to make some major shifts in a once self-destructive lifestyle.

In this episode we discuss:

- Why sober stints are a great way to build self-belief

- Why shaming yourself into change doesn't work in the long-term

- The self-respect and self-trust that come when you start building evidence that you care about how you behave, even when nobody's watching

- How to set yourself up for success by anticipating that change is hard and getting excited about the opportunity to prove that you can do hard things

- Remembering that lots of the benefits of not drinking take a couple of weeks to kick in, so to give yourself some early wins by making a choice (or two) today that will make you proud tomorrow

- Turning down the volume on the way you speak to yourself as a way to avoid the F@CK IT button

- Remembering sobriety is a practice, and mastering it - like mastering anything - is chiefly about time in the saddle and doing something again and again until it becomes easier

- Making it easy to do the hard thing and supporting Dry Jan by making the month as lovely and nourishing as possible in every other way

PODCAST NOTES + LINKS

• The Kindness Method by Shahroo Izadi

• The Last Diet by Shahroo Izadi

• Shahroo's website www.shahrooizadi.co.uk

• Shahroo on Instagram @shahroo_izadi

• INCASE OF EMERGENCY - PLEASE CALL 999


• SAMARITANS – 116 123


• SHOUT CRISIS SUPPORT - TEXT SHOUT TO 85258

For the first episode of this series, Toni is joined by Bryony Gordon, journalist, best-selling author, podcaster, award-winning mental health campaigner, and founder of Mental Health Mates, the brilliant nationwide network of support groups that encourages people to get moving and talking.

Bryony is also 6 years sober.

In this episode we discuss:

- The moment Bryony decided to get sober, and how - after much resistance! - accepting the label of 'alcoholic' enabled her to get the help she needed and move forward 

- Why there's no such thing as a typical alcoholic OR a typical journey to sobriety

- The question to ask yourself if Dry January or any kind of sober stint feels/is impossible

- Booze for fun vs booze to numb

- How Bryony is working on her health and happiness today, and how getting sober has taught her she doesn't need to be constantly producing and achieving or to be the 'best' at anything to be worthy

- Why talking about addiction is the best way to move through any shame we feel around it

- Why she believes telling people to drink a highly addictive, legal drug 'responsibly' is bullsh!t

**NB there are a couple of swearwords in this episode - in case of little or sensitive ears**

PODCAST NOTES + LINKS:

• Glorious Rock Bottom by Bryony Gordon


• Mental Health Mates

• ⁠Join the (free) Shelf Help Club community over on the Shelf Help Club App⁠

• INCASE OF EMERGENCY - PLEASE CALL 999


• SAMARITANS – 116 123


• SHOUT CRISIS SUPPORT - TEXT SHOUT TO 85258

Our guest today is Jo Love, a mental health advocate, doodler, trainee psychotherapist and now author.

Jo’s first book Therapy is… Magic is an essential guide to the ups and downs and life-changing experiences of talking therapy. Part memoir and part 'how-to' guide it's a handbook on what to expect when you decide to seek out a therapist, based on Jo's own 18+ years experience of seeing mental health professionals.

IN THIS EPISODE:

-

BOOKS REFERENCED:

Therapy is…Magic by Jo Love > https://amzn.to/3uBi8X3

On Becoming A Person by Carl Rogers > https://amzn.to/3HIXzeL

Find Your True Voice: Stop Listening to Your Inner Critic, Heal Your Trauma and Live a Life Full of Joy by Emmy Brunner > https://amzn.to/3oG3WZ3

A Manual for Being Human by Dr Sophie Mort > https://amzn.to/3HFxGws

Rise of the Girl: & Empowering Conversations to Have with Your Daughter by Jo Wimble-Groves > https://amzn.to/3HFw3Pt

The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read by Phillipa Perry > https://amzn.to/3LzowEi

The Body Keeps The Score by Dr Bessel van Der Kolk > https://amzn.to/3GHUyu1

Depression in a Digital Age by Fiona Thomas > https://amzn.to/3oCBZRI

It Didn’t Start with You by Mark Wolynn > https://amzn.to/34u1gXm

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott > https://amzn.to/3oFEvql

-

SHOW NOTES // FIND OUT MORE ABOUT JO:

website > www.jolove.co.uk

instagram > @jo__love__

Our guest today is Shelly Tygielski, a trauma-informed mindfulness teacher, self-care activist, and the founder of the global grassroots mutual aid organisation Pandemic of Love.

Shelly describes herself as 'a person who shows up for the cause'. If she believes in it, she goes for it, and helps others to do the same, and her new book - Sit Down to Rise Up: How Radical Self-care Can Change the World - is a guide to how we can create profound social change in our outer world by going inwards.

IN THIS EPISODE:

-

BOOKS REFERENCED:

Sit Down To Rise Up by Shelly Tygielski > https://amzn.to/3KKFleW

Pleasure Activism by Adrienne Maree Brown > https://amzn.to/3AzYSds

Angela Davis - An Autobiography > https://amzn.to/3KOGj9Z

The Catcher In The Rye by J D Salinger https://amzn.to/34cN70i

Wherever You Go There You Are by Jon Kabit-Zinn > https://amzn.to/3u3KNDK

Faith by Sharon Salzburg > https://amzn.to/3rTM5yn

The Collected Stories of Ernest Hemingway > https://amzn.to/3ADTWnC

Devotions: The Selected Poems of Mary Oliver > https://amzn.to/3rYM8Jc

The Norton Anthology of Short Stories > https://amzn.to/3IKzIeK

-

SHOW NOTES // FIND OUT MORE ABOUT SHELLY:

website > shellytygielski.com and pandemicoflove.com

instagram > @mindfulskatergirl

Our guest today is Akeem Haynes, athlete, author, motivational speaker and podcast host who, after overcoming various stages of homelessness to win an Olympic medal, now specialises in promoting resilience and inspiring people to find the good in whatever obstacles, setbacks or opposition they may be facing.

Akeem’s message is that hope can always be found if you know where to look and this, as well as so many of the other practices we discuss in this conversation - including challenging and changing our perspectives and 24-7 gratitude - are traits we can all cultivate if we want to head into a new year with a positive mindset.

And we love the fact that instead of making more resolutions at this time of year, Akeem chooses to look back at what didn’t get done last year and focuses on that.

Be More Akeem shall be our mantra for 2022.

IN THIS EPISODE:

BOOKS REFERENCED:

SHOW NOTES // FIND OUT MORE ABOUT AKEEM:

website > https://www.instagram.com/underdogakh/

instagram > https://akeeminspires.com/

podcast: Unscripted with Akeem Haynes > https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/unscripted-with-akeem-haynes/id1493147257 - 

Our guest today is Jessica Huie MBE, an entrepreneur, coach, founder of the Purpose Academy and Author of the Hay House best-seller PURPOSE, Find Your Truth and Embrace Your Calling. In a previous life Jessica enjoyed a glittering career as a journalist and publicist, and has worked with some of the world’s biggest stars and business people. This month she is celebrating the re-release of her book with five extra chapters charting her leap of faith as she emigrated to Jamaica in the summer of 2020.

IN THIS PODCAST:

BOOKS REFERENCED:

1. Purpose (new edition) by Jessica Huie > https://amzn.to/3sB73nZ

2. Conversations with God by Neale Donald Walsch > https://amzn.to/3FqpyyE

3. The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield > https://amzn.to/3FqpyyE

4. The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron > https://amzn.to/3E7mLco

5. The Good Ally by Nova Reid > https://amzn.to/3yKBzgb

6. Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery > https://amzn.to/3EbJPH6

7. Reclaiming the African Goddess: A Spiritual Guide to Healing Black Trauma by Yema Njolela > https://amzn.to/3J7kcuq

SHOW NOTES // FIND OUT MORE ABOUT JESSICA:

website > https://www.jessicahuie.com

instagram > https://www.instagram.com/jessica_huie_

more about The Purpose Retreat (Jan 2022) > https://www.jessicahuie.com/events-2/the-purpose-retreat-jamaica-2021/

Our guest today - and the first on the Books of their Lives series - is Brita Fernandez Schmidt, a woman who wants us all to know that we are so much more than our job titles, but to give a *little* bit of context we’ll share that she’s an activist, a coach, author of Fears to Fierce: A Woman’s Guide to Owning Her Power and an advocate and promoter of women’s power, women’s rights and equality, most recently as Executive Director of Women for Women International (2008-2021).

IN THIS PODCAST:

BOOKS REFERENCED:

SHOW NOTES // OTHER REFERENCES:

Mooji meditation - Seeing without eyes: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=475708760313871

https://mooji.tv/freemedia/

Women for Women International > https://womenforwomen.org.uk/

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT BRITA: