We're so excited to introduce you to our third podcast episode, and our very first celebrity guest, the wonderful Beth Kempton.

Today’s episode is a joyous and juicy conversation featuring personal stories and odes to poetry, piles of book recommendations and - of course - a lot of Substack love.

Beth has written SIX non-fiction books, including several bestsellers and several focused on her love affair with Japan.

She is also an award-winning entrepreneur and writing mentor who spends her time supporting people to do what they love and make a career out of their creativity, through her writing workshops and programmes as well as her wonderful community on Substack, SoulCircle.

IN THIS EPISODE:

* LOTS of book recommendations, including two that had a profound impact on shaping Beth’s personal and professional life

* The healing power of (any kind of) poetry

* The business of books and writing (and Substack)

* How Beth’s changing relationship with herself has been reflected in her books

* How writing self-help is the best way to understand our Self

* The power of retreats and finding places to be able to tell our stories

* Why journalling is a balm for the soul

* The perfect book-shaped gifts, including a poetry book to support anyone grieving

* How to have a Calm Christmas (https://calmchristmas.substack.com/)

SHOW NOTES:

In this episode Beth references and recommends lots of books, including:

* The Complete Brambly Hedge by Jill Barklem

* Lost Japan by Alex Kerr

* Taking Flight by Kelly Rae Roberts

* You Are Only Just Beginning by Morgan Harper Nicholls

* The Poetry Pharmacy by William Sieghart

* She is Fierce by Ana Sampson

* Chasing Fog by Laura Pashby

* The Poetry of Impermanence, Mindfulness and Joy by John Brehm

* Mountains of the Mind by Robert MacFarlane

* Freedom Seeker by Beth Kempton

* Kokoro by Beth Kempton

* Calm Christmas by Beth Kempton

ABOUT THE BIBLIOTHERAPISTS:

The Bibliotherapists, is a new podcast from Substackers and community builders Tanya Lynch (EASE Retreats) and Toni Jones (The Shelf Help Club) exploring the healing power of words.

It's a love letter to reading and writing and storytelling and this weekly digital retreat features conversations with some of our favourite Substack writers and authors, sharing about the the books that have shaped their lives and their relationships with themselves, the books they wish everyone would read, how they use reading and writing to support their mental health, and the books they are reading right now.

You’ll be able to listen to these podcast episodes on all the usual outlets but we’ll only be sharing the video recordings on Substack

https://shelfhelpclub.substack.com/

tanyalynch.substack.com/

bethkempton.substack.com

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit shelfhelpclub.substack.com/subscribe

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebibliotherapists.substack.com

The Bibliotherapists, is a new podcast from Substackers and community builders Tanya Lynch (EASE Retreats) and Toni Jones (The Shelf Help Club) exploring the healing power of words.

You can read all about how our story began in Episode #1 and our first post (in which host Toni interviews host Tanya).

And in this episode we continue the intros, with Tanya interviewing Toni, and we learn all about how and why, aged 40 Toni created the world’s first self-help book club and the pivotal books that have supported her personal and professional growth since.

SHOW NOTES:

In this episode Toni references and recommends 8 books, including:

* The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe by C S Lewis

* The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield

* The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari by Robin Sharma

* Money a Love Story by Kate Northrup

* Self-care for Winter by Suzy Reading

* Change Your life in 7 days by Paul McKenna - 

* Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway by Susan Jeffers

* The Kindness Method by Shahroo Izadi

ABOUT THE BIBLIOTHERAPISTS

This podcast is a love letter to reading and writing and storytelling.

This weekly digital retreat features conversations with some of our favourite Substack writers and authors, sharing about the the books that have shaped their lives and their relationships with themselves, the books they wish everyone would read, how they use reading and writing to support their mental health, and the books they are reading right now.

Guests for series 1 include: Beth Kempton, Claire Venus (she/her) ✨, Women Are Mad with Jen&Salima, Anne Boyd, Laura Pashby, Lucy Pearson, Tamu Thomas and Emma Gannon to close Series 1.

We can’t wait for you to listen. Please share with the people you love, let us know what you think, and - of course - what you are reading right now…

Toni (& Tanya)

xx

PS you’ll be able to listen to these podcast episodes on all the usual outlets but we’ll only be sharing the video recordings on Substack…

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit shelfhelpclub.substack.com/subscribe

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebibliotherapists.substack.com

A new podcast from Substackers and community builders Tanya Lynch (EASE Retreats) and Toni Jones (The Shelf Help Club) exploring the healing power of words.

This weekly digital retreat features conversations with some of our favourite Substack writers and authors, sharing about the books that have shaped their lives, and also their relationships with themselves.

Book nerds will love the long lists of recommendations - including fiction and non-fiction - as our guests also share what they're reading now, as well as ideas on how to get intentional about reading and writing as a path to health, happiness and personal growth.

In this episode: Host Toni interviews Host Tanya about her journey to bibliotherapy.

Books mentioned in this episode include:

* The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron

* Thoughts of an Unfinished Woman by Joan Anderson

* Things I Don't Want to Know by Deborah Levy

* Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout

* A Spare Room by Helen Garner

* Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg

* Atomic Habits by James Clear

* Toast by Nigel Slater

Coming soon: Our A-list line-up for Series 1 includes interviews with: Beth Kempton , Claire Venus (she/her) ✨ , Women Are Mad with Jen&Salima , Anne Boyd , Laura Pashby , Lucy Pearson , Tamu Thomas and Emma Gannon, with one episode landing every Friday morning.

PS you’ll be able to listen to these podcast episodes on all the usual outlets but we’ll only be sharing the video recordings on Substack…

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit shelfhelpclub.substack.com/subscribe

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebibliotherapists.substack.com

Today’s guest is the delicious Melissa Hemsley, former private chef turned food columnist, best-selling cookbook author, real food activist, sustainability champion, mental health advocate AND mamma, who is passionate about spreading the power of feel-good food.

Food is Melissa’s passion. This conversation was recorded to celebrate the launch of her SIXTH cookbook, Real Healthy; Unprocess Your Diet with Easy, Everyday Recipes, but we also ended up talking about lots of lovely - and easy - ways to unprocess lots of other parts of our lives too.

I hope you will find this chat deeply comforting and nourishing on many levels, because that is always how I feel after spending any kind of time with Melisssa.

In this conversation we discuss:

• The Mental Health and Nutrition Connection (Research indicates a strong link between diet and mood/mental health, specifically ultra-processed foods).


• The art of Self-Mothering and being patient and understanding with oneself, especially during times of major life changes.


• The benefits of somatic practices for mental health, particularly in processing grief and trauma through body awareness rather than just talk therapy.


• Parenting and Mental Health as Melissa reflects on her journey through IVF, pregnancy, and motherhood, and how these experiences have reshaped her mental health practices.


• Mindfulness and wonder (and dogs!) as part of our well-being toolkits


• The simple Self-Care Practices that can significantly impact mental health.

LINKS

Get the Book > Real Healthy by Melissa Hemsley

Get the Book > The Bridge by Donna Lancaster

Melissa on Instagram > @melissa.hemsley

Donna on Instagram > @donnalancs

More on Mental Health Mates

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit shelfhelpclub.substack.com/subscribe

Today’s guest is Nahid de Belgeonne, known as “the nervous system whisperer”, a Somatic Movement coach and breath and yoga teacher with a passion for sharing the healing benefits of movement.

Nahid’s new book, Soothe: The Book Your Nervous System Has Been Longing For, is "a freeing and revolutionary approach to bodily tranquility," that can help us breathe, move and care for our overworked nervous systems better.

And in this conversation Nahid shares a ton of practices to help us incorporate soothing movement into our day.

In this episode we discuss:

1. The Importance of rest and recovery (and what happens in our body/brain when we find time to do it).

   
   



2. Nahid’s go-to morning rituals for mind-body alignment and daily routines for focus and well-being.

   
   



3. The power of primal soothing movements like rocking and rhythmic rolling to calm our nervous system.

   
   



4. Changing habits without willpower.

   
   



5. Noticing how you hold tension and stress as a form of self-healing: “The noticing in and of itself is already medicine to the system... now you've alerted your nervous system."

   
   



6. Why we often don’t trust our feelings - and how we can retrain our brains and nervous systems to feel safe, relaxed and happy.

   
   

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit shelfhelpclub.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode Toni is joined by 'brain ninja', Kim Ingleby, one of the UK's leading mind and body experts.

Kim is an award-winning coach, writer and TED talker, and has trained with some of the world’s leaders in health, well-being and performance.

Kim is another big retreat buddy, and we love talking to her and watching her on stage because she has so much wisdom to share when it comes to how we can look after our minds and bodies.

And as you’ll hear from this episode, Kim has personal experience of overcoming serious mental and physical challenges, so she really understands the importance of empowering us to embrace who we are and where we are - right now - when we’re looking to make changes.

In this episode we discuss:

1. Kim's personal journey through adversity and neurodiversity and how that shaped her perspective on movement and mental resilience.

   
   



2. Embracing challenges with positivity and self-awareness.

   
   



3. Practical tips on using movement as a tool to navigate overwhelming feelings and gain clarity in daily life.

   
   



4. The importance of intentional choices in daily life and incorporating movement and self-care into daily routines.

   
   



5. Practicing gratitude and reframing perspectives.

   
   



6. The power of music to regulate our emotions.

   
   

   
   

   
   

Kim's book recommendations:

Do Hope by Gail Muller - https://amzn.to/3yqfqHW

A Bloke’s Life by Steve Dobbby - https://amzn.to/3UB4gaA

Heal the Witch Wound by Celeste Larson - https://amzn.to/3UZfoPY

The Success Myth by Emma Gannon - https://amzn.to/4bG1Nmg

Start Where You Are - a journal by Meera Lee Patel - https://amzn.to/3K5G37A

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit shelfhelpclub.substack.com/subscribe

Dr. Navaz Habib is the founder of Health Upgraded, a functional medicine and health optimization clinic in Toronto, Canada, working with everyone from athletes and entrepreneurs to busy mums and people struggling with their weight.

He helps people identify the root causes of health imbalances and addresses them naturally, through basic but powerful practices available to us all including breath. Movement and rest,

Dr. Habib’s book Activate Your Vagus Nerve is a simple-to-follow guide to help you identify and address a major missing piece in dealing with chronic health concerns including anxiety and depression.

And in this conversation he breaks down the Vagus Nerve for beginners - like me, and probably you - what it is, how it is connected to our overall health, and how to fix it.

If you need three coffees just to get through the day, or are suffering from chronic illness, including autoimmune diseases, this episode is for you….

In this episode we discuss:

1. How Dr Navaz’s own health challenges, including struggles with weight, high blood pressure, and borderline diabetes in his 20s, prompted him to explore root causes of health issues.


2. Functional medicine and chronic inflammation as a common thread in health conditions.


3. The importance of vagus nerve function for overall health and resilience.


4. How movement is essential for overall health, supporting gut function, blood circulation, and oxygenation.


5. How breath is the primary method to communicate our body's state to the brain and how even simple breath-focused movements can profoundly impact mental and emotional well-being.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit shelfhelpclub.substack.com/subscribe

Today's guest is Camilla Sacre-Dallerup, a Danish self-help author, life coach, meditation teacher, hypnotherapist and former professional dancer, known for being one of the original cast in the mega BBC show, Strictly Come Dancing.

Camilla's THREE self-help books (It’s Not You It’s Me, Reinvent Me and Dream, Believe, Succeed are international bestsellers and she recently launched her own meditation App - zen.me - sharing guided meditations, self-discovery courses and enlightening podcasts 

And in THIS enlightening podcast what you’ll hear is a conversation between two self-help super nerds talking all things movement and mental health and maybe a little bit of woo.

In this episode we discuss:

1. How Camilla has created a kind and loving relationship to her Self and her body since retiring from dancing.


2. How mental health became a priority in her 40s.


3. Overcoming overwhelm: "When squeezed for time, start with one manageable activity for self-care, like a 10-minute stretch or walk."


4. Movement as self-care: "Moving your body is a powerful tool for self-care; it's a form of meditation in motion."


5. The joy of Pickleball.


6. Overcoming Guilt: "Many struggle with guilt when prioritising self-care, but it's essential to push through and make time for yourself. You might have to do it guilty to start with."

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit shelfhelpclub.substack.com/subscribe

Simon Alexander Ong is an award-winning personal development entrepreneur and coach, and the author of Energize: Make the Most of Every Moment.

His work has been featured on Sky News and the BBC as well as Forbes, The HuffPost and The Guardian, and he’s always so generous to Shelf Help with his time and advice on living an optimised, but more importantly - happy - life.

In this episode we discuss:

1. The 'domino' effect of movement when it comes to creating healthy habits.


2. Why we need to work on our work-REST balance.


3. The power of future-self visualisation.


4. Why planning your day the night before is the key to focus and productivity.


5. The 5% Rule: "Spending just 1 hour per day moving accounts for less than 5% of your day."


6. Why we need to stop overthinking and/or overplanning and just do it: "Anyone who is happy and successful has a bias towards action."

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit shelfhelpclub.substack.com/subscribe

Today’s guest is Kate Rowe-Ham, a Women's Health Coach with a special interest in menopause fitness and nutrition. Kate is the founder of the Owning Your Menopause platform and the author of Owning Your Menopause: Fitter, calmer, Stronger in 30 Days.

Kate wants to educate women on the benefits of movement and diet, so they can see how these go hand in hand in playing a fundamental role in managing many of the symptoms associated with menopause.

I first met Kate at The Big Retreat well-being festival in Wales (where we’ll both be delivering workshops and sessions again later this month) and can personally vouch for her mega energy levels, so whatever she’s doing, it works.

In this episode we discuss:

1. Kate’s personal journey overcoming mental health challenges related to disordered eating.

   
   



2. Exploring the shift from exercise for aesthetics to exercise for brain health, mental well-being, bone health, and muscle health, and how Kate transformed exercise into a source of connection and strength.

   
   



3. Modelling healthy ‘health’ behaviours for children, and the importance of leading by example in parenting.

   
   



4. The significance of daily habits and starting small to cultivate a positive relationship with movement.

   
   



5. Future-proofing our bodies by lifting weights and building lean muscle for hormonal balance and overall well-being.

   
   



6. Approaching menopause with hope, joy, and a sense of reinvention.

   
   

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit shelfhelpclub.substack.com/subscribe