Okay, here we go. This is the final episode of Season 1!

And it covers a subject very close to my heart. Sobriety.

Having got 2 + years of sobriety under my belt, I've wanted to talk about this for some time. And what better person to speak to that one of the first sober people I met on my recovery journey!

Mikaela is a recovery coach and also runs Recovery with Me, which is an amazing youtube channel and can be found on all the socials too (tagged below). Mikaela aims to help normalise and promote a positive alcohol-free lifestyle and to make it more accessible by sharing my own thoughts and experiences

We talk about:
- Mikaela's sobriety journey

- What life was like before sobriety and how it's changed

- Addictions are usually but a symptom of a deeper issue. We discuss if this is true.

- What challenges Mikaela faced through sobriety

- Whether  she feels more or less connected to her authentic self now

- Is connection the opposite of addiction? (Big shout-out to The Recovery Elevator here!)

- What positive things Mikaela noticed since getting sober


Please do check out Mikaela here:

Youtube: @recoverywithme
Instagram: @recoverywth.me

And that's a wrap, folks! I'm now taking a break from recording this podcast as I have a good think about what direction I want the next season to go in. If you've enjoyed this episode or any others, please do subscribe and leave a 5 star rating - it makes me feel less like I'm shouting into a void.

Thanks so much for your support and for sticking with this podcast newbie for 12 episodes!

If you have any thoughts or feedback on the podcast or have a story you'd like to tell, get in touch at [email protected]

x

In the penultimate episode of Season 1, we speak to the incredible Camile Minerbo about soul connection.

Cami is the host and creator of The Blossom Experiment, a podcast that discusses authenticity, intuition, and intuitive living. Her purpose is to help others flow inwards so they can trust their inner guidance and create a life that feels fulfilling to the soul. 

Cami is also a member of the Dandelion Social team! We met when Dandelion Social formed into a social media agency as she was the first freelancer that I took on. In an amazing turn of events, we actually became really great friends straight away.

This episode is all about connecting with your soul and your authentic soul journey. And Cami is the perfect person to speak with about this - not just because of her career and expertise, but also from her lived experience as you’ll hear in this chat.

We talk about:

• Whether we’re more or less connected now as a society
• How she experiences connecting with others
• What connecting with your soul means
• How you know if you’re aligned with your soul’s purpose
• Manifestation
• More about her podcast The Blossom Experiment
• How we can feel more connected with our soul

Check out The Blossom Experiment on Instagram: @theblossomexperiment

Don't forget to subscribe and leave a review on this podcast! It helps it get seen by the right people.

Thanks so much for listening!

In this episode, we're speaking to actress Diana Bermudez about body image and eating disorders.

Around 1.25 million people in the UK suffer with an eating disorder; it's not an issue that seems to be going anywhere.

This is obviously a very sensitive subject matter, and not one Diana or I took lightly as both of us are eating disorder survivors.

Here, we discuss what it's like to suffer with an eating disorder and how to re-connect with your body after. For Diana, she has the added pressure of working as an actress in an industry where looks are everything. Her most recent appearance was as the spectacular Yatzil in the Marvel series 'Moonlight'.

Diana is Colombian, and we delve into how body shape (specifically for women) is a prominent factor in self worth in Colombian and Latino culture. 

This is the first time Diana has spoken about her body image and eating disorder experience, so I'm truly honoured to have been able to facilitate it.

To listen to the episode, head to Apple or Spotify

Please subscribe and like to this podcast! And thank you so much for listening.

Did you resonate with this discussion? Let us know in the comments.

Let's talk dating!

In this episode of The Dandelion Podcast, we speak to Helena Rosam about dating, dating apps and finding a romantic connection.

You may recognise Helena from our previous Housemates episode! Thanks so much to Helena for coming back on and being a fantastic guest once more!

As dating app veterans (Sally even found her boyfriend on Hinge) and Helena being a single gal, we have plenty of dating app stories to tell. 

We cover:

Whether dating apps are helping or hindering us finding a partner

How to know if you’ve found a good connection when dating.

What are the red and green flags on dating apps and on dates

Our funniest/ worst dating stories

What makes a good date

And advice for single gals struggling to find a real connection.

This one was recorded in Podcast Room

Please do like, subscribe and share with your single friends!

Thanks so much for listening!

In this episode of The Dandelion Podcast, we speak to the wonderful Selina Swift.

Selina and I have been friends for 10 years (!) so we spend some time reflecting on friendship and connection (and how we stayed friends for so many years??!)

As Selina works for Sky News as a Producer, we also discuss whether the news and journalism help society to connect or are polarising us more.

Selina's working on a really fascinating project, which brings together her love for journalism, communication and connection. It hasn't yet launched, but it's called News Act and it's a way of allowing people to take action around topical issues.

This was the first ever episode that I recorded for The Dandelion Podcast, which has made me all nostalgic for the journey!

If you've enjoyed this episode, please do subscribe, like, share with a friend!

Thanks so much for listening.

You can find Selina here: 
Instagram: @selinaswiftt
Twitter: @selinaswiftt

In this podcast episode, Sally interviews the author and spiritual teacher John Siddique.

We discuss John's book 'Signposts of the Spiritual Journey' and how to connect with your authentic self and spirituality.

We cover:

What does connecting with your authentic self mean to you?

What does it mean to ‘live authentically’?

An insight into the thought process behind the book and who the book's for.

How do you know if you’re going through a spiritual awakening?

An explanation of what false consciousness is.

What does it mean to ‘be teachable’ in terms of spirituality?

Dealing with other people and living authentically has its challenges - particularly when you're energy sensitive. What advice would you give someone else who feels this way?

Do you think we’re going through a collective awakening?

What advice would you give to someone who’s currently going through a spiritual awakening or transformation? 

And also... What is the meaning of life?

(Yes he did actually answer this!) 

If you want to find out more about John, his website is here: https://www.authenticliving.life/

Thanks for listening! 

Please do rate, review and subscribe if you enjoyed this episode.

If you're living in a city, chances are you live with housemates or at least have done at some point in your life.

Let's be honest, the experience can range from amazing to absolutely terrible. If you're currently experiencing the latter, we feel you. And hopefully listening to this will give you a glimmer of hope of a better future living situation.

In this episode of The Dandelion Podcast, Sally speaks to her housemates of 3 years Helena Rosam and Claire Prenty Clear to discuss their experience of living together in London.

This interview covers:

- Who we lived with before, what it was like and what we learnt

- What our experience was and why it felt so different

- Going through tough times as housemates

- Favourite memories of living together

- Challenges of living together

- Advice on finding good housemates

And... some weird 'characters' we created to keep ourselves amused.

Listen to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and anywhere you get your podcasts

Thank you for listening! Please like, download and share with a friend!

Okay folks, this is something a little different!

In this episode of The Dandelion Podcast, we're joined by Karen Young to discuss energy, energy healing and connecting with spirit.

Karen is a spiritual healer and works with clients to provide a holistic approach to healing. Which includes; spiritual healing, energy rebalancing, chakra balancing, holistic life coaching, meditation, mindfulness and tarot reading practices.

It's a really fascinating interview - so if this is all new to you, please listen with an open mind.

We cover:

- What spiritual healing is and how it works
- What an initial session of energy healing looks like
- How to deal with people who think she's just 'making it up'
- Whether you can spot if someone has ‘bad energy’ or a ‘bad aura’?
- Whether she sees her skill as a gift/ curse or both
- Is being psychic, or intuitive, or being an energy empath the same thing?
- How energy sensitive people can protect their energy
- Good first steps in learning about energy or spiritual healing
- Why meditation such a fundamental part of spiritual practice
- Why core values are important
- Guardian angels, angels, archangels: what she thinks about this belief system
- How to be more connected to your energy or spirituality

Find Karen at: www.theurbanmeditator.com

Thanks so much for listening! Please do rate, review and share with a friend!

In this episode of The Dandelion Podcast, we speak to Tobi Akingbade about her career and how connection has impacted her trajectory so far.

Tobi hosts The Yellow Cup Podcast and is a social media journalist. She can be found interviewing celebs on the red carpet, going viral on Twitter and watching films.

We discuss:

• Rise and grind/ hustle culture - is this motivational or has it gone too far?
• Obstacles or challenges in Tobi's career
• Manifesting your dream life
• What success looks like 
• The gender pay gap
• Pivoting careers
• Career highlights

And... that time we got chased by a giant teddy with a chainsaw. Yep. This happened.

Find Tobi:

Instagram: @TobiRachel_
Twitter: @tobirachel

Thank you for listening! Please do rate, review and share with a friend!

In this episode, we're joined by Wezz Kepple to discuss how masculinity can be a potential barrier in making connections. 

We discuss:

- What connection and disconnection means
- Whether Wezz finds connecting with others easy or challenging
- What authentic connection means
- Whether the narrative of 'women talk about feelings and men don't' is true
- Whether the discourse/ campaigns on men's mental health is making an actual impact
- The extent to which a lack of connection or loneliness plays a role in the high suicide rate of men
- Toxic masculinity: Overused buzzword or real?
- Toxic masculinity: Why do misogynists with a platform gain popularity?
- Do gender roles still exist?
- What we can do (as a society and on a policy level, or in our day-to-day lives) to help men feel more connection.
- How can people feel more connected? (To people, spirituality, nature etc).

In our intro, I mention that there are some very glaring limitations to this discussion, in terms of it being from a predominantly cis-het perspective. If you'd like to discuss masculinity on the pod from a different perspective, please do get in touch! Email: [email protected]

Podcast studio used for this recording: Podcast Room https://podcast-room.com/

Thanks for listening!