The Heavy Mental Podcast

Well, you asked for it...

I am delighted to inform you that I managed to coax my lovely lady wife back to the pod.

In our first episode back together in many months, Lei and I take a mo to chat about change and continued uncertainty — including the perils and pitfalls of moving house and ensuring to manage your mental health in the process.

We chat all sorts: burnout, creativity, figuring out your priorities, lockdown reflection, obtaining financial freedom, starting businesses and growing older - among other things!

So, chuck the kettle on, grab a cuppa and listen to a couple rambling about their mental health.

This week's guest on the pod is Tene Edwards.

Tene is a poet, self-love advocate and author of the book Walk With Wings.

During our chat, we talk about how Tene’s writing journey started during her younger years as a means to help her better understand her thoughts and feelings. As Tene says, writing acted as a means of self-discovery while simultaneously healing her from the difficult times she’d gone through in her life.

We also chat about finding a job you love and not being afraid about trying new things. We chat chat social media, sharing your work online and building a community of followers. In relation to that, we also cover self-doubt and imposter syndrome. We chat the power of reading, self-help, and investing in yourself. We chat being open and vulnerable online while maintaining boundaries. We also chat Tene’s writing method, creative rituals and positive affirmations.

As somebody who considers themselves a writer - even though I don’t share a great deal - this one really resonated with me. If you're a writer, you're not going to want to miss this one!

Peace.

In this episode of the podcast, I speak with Scott Britton, the founder of Battle Cancer: a fitness movement whose charity fundraising events have been described as being like “a sports day, for adults”.

In their events, teams take on workouts made up of creative movements using simple equipment, so that everyone can get involved. That's something at the heart of what Battle Cancer are about: inclusivity.

Scott has raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for charity and travelled CrossFit gym around the world, flying the flag for Battle Cancer and I’m stoked to be able to share with you my chat with him.

During our chat, we talk about: Scott’s history in fitness, how he transitioned from being a powerlifter to the world of functional fitness and CrossFit. We talk about how Battle Cancer all began and how Scott is driven to create a positive movement for change. We talk mindset, building a brand, events management and marketing. We talk about the effects of the pandemic on small businesses, independents and freelancers, and what Scott’s hopes are for the future.

We also chat about the amazing Move Forward program that Scott has partly developed, in which patients post-cancer are helped to find their fitness and get back in touch with who they were pre-cancer.

You're not going to want to miss this one people.

Enjoy!

In this episode, I chat with Mikey, the artist behind purveyor of soft goods and trippy, uplifting merch with a message, Boss Dog.

During our conversation, we chat about Mikey's inspirations as a young dude, grafting hard and honing his craft. We chat the ups and downs of social media. We chat growing up within the music scene and being immersed in skateboarding culture. We chat working for yourself, building a business and staying true to who you are. We chat about Mikey's creative process and what his inspirations and motivations are — past and present. We also chat trying to walk a positive path and put out good energy, even when the world around you seems to be crumbling. And of course, learning to not be afraid of rejection — an essential part of the development process.

If you're a creative — particularly an artist — this is one you really need to check out. Mikey is a legend of a dude and it was a pleasure to chat with him.

Peace.

In this episode, I chat with Kyle Davies.

Kyle is a chartered psychologist, therapist, trainer, coach and author of “The Intelligent Body: Reversing Chronic Fatigue From The Inside Out”, a book that contains exercises and strategies for long-term emotional wellbeing in the face of physical difficulties.

Kyle is also the creator of “Energy Flow Coaching”, which aims to provide a framework and process for tapping into our innate ability to attain optimum health, wellbeing, creativity and clarity of mind.

Kyle’s aim with his work is to reconnect people with their deeper sense of self. One they might have lost somewhere along the way.

During our chat, we talk about what led Kyle to wanting to study psychology in the first place. We talk about the history of the term “mental health” and how science sought to separate mind and body. We chat about how modern medicine evolved to focus specifically on dealing with trauma and addressing symptoms, rather than pinpointing root causes. We chat about how when the body presents us with a symptom, it’s actually a messenger trying to tell us that something is wrong. We talk about how the body is a self-healing, self-correcting and self-creating system that wants to find its way back to alignment. We also chat about stress, the initial reaction within the body and how it can manifest itself.

This was a SUPER interesting one for me from an educational perspective. I enjoyed chatting to Kyle and I know you’re going to get a lot from this one. I think this might be the first psychologist we’ve had on the podcast as well. The first of many, I hope!

Anyway, without further ado, please enjoy my conversation with the insightful, Mr Kyle Davies.

In this episode, I chat with fashion stylist, content creator, consultant, blogger, presenter, former musician and fellow lifelong mosher, my mate Kitty Cowell.

Kitty’s done so much creative work, it’s hard to know where to start, but I’ll try and give you a quick run through of her resume. Kitty has:

- Worked on music videos for the likes of Lethal Bizzle.

- Worked for magazines like High Snobiety and Wonderland.

- Been a contributing fashion features editor at Notion Magazine.

- Recorded in the studio with legendary electronic duo, Basement Jaxx.

- Worked on campaigns for Puma, Footlocker and Nike.

She’s even styled Aiden Gillen (Littlefinger from GoT) in a recent shoot he did for Interview Magazine.

She’s a sneaker and streetwear enthusiast and collector with a deep passion for music, having previously been a musician in a former life.

One thing’s for sure, Kitty is a busy, busy gal.

During our chat, we talk about growing up with dyslexia, being a creative kid and rap battles in the home of Shakespeare, Stratford-Upon-Avon. We chat writing poetry, becoming a musician and moving cities. We chat heavy metal, emo and the famed South Wales music scene of the mid-2000’s onwards. We chat romantic relationships: how to communicate in one and when it’s time to go your separate ways. We chat depression, anxiety, getting help and therapy.

Enjoy!

In this episode, I chat with former World Championship 800m runner and co-founder of Running Punks, Jimmy Watkins.

Running Punks is a tribe of unique, incredible and awesome individuals with a punk mentality and a thirst for life, self-improvement, and of course, running.

When one of my mates sent through a video to our What’s App group of a dude bombing it through the welsh countryside while enthusiastically listening to and reviewing Metallica’s seminal Master of Puppets record, I knew I had to speak to that dude and get him on the podcast.

When you watch one of Jimmy’s videos, not only does it make you want to listen to the record he’s shouting about (even if you’re familiar with it and even if it’s by a band you thought you didn’t like), it also makes you want to lace up your daps and bolt out the door.

If there was ever a campaign to “make running fun again”, Jimmy would be the leader of that very movement. His story is an interesting one. He’s sort of come full circle, having learned a load of different life lessons along the way. From competitive 800m runner, to life as a musician, to slumping into a depression, stopping running and drinking, before kicking the booze, finding his feet and rekindling his love for his lifelong passion: running.

During the episode, we chat about Jimmy’s background growing up and how developed into a World Champs 800m runner. We talk being a musician, life on the road, the creative process and how Kendrick Lamar is a self-help guru. We chat working hard, being focused and enjoying what you do. We also chat depression, boozing, losing and then subsequently finding yourself. We chat building a running tribe, keeping things simple and what Running Punks is all about.

This is probably one of the funniest podcast I’ve ever done. I had a bloody blast. I need to make it to a Running Punks session. If you’re in Cardiff they have a run club most weekends, get on it!

Enjoy.

In this episode, I chat with my mate Laura Jane Dernie, the founder of My Discombobulated Brain: a charity that was setup to tackle the stigma associated with mental health head-on. They do this by serving as an educational resource and by acting as a form of support for sufferers and those close to them.

My Discomb’s aim is to eradicate the stigma associated with mental health by using their own personal stories and experiences to help get the conversation started, and more importantly, to keep it going.

It was after losing her best friend Jon at 18 to suicide, and then experiencing peri and postnatal depression, that Laura felt compelled to share her experience in the hope that it might help others.

She was challenged by her friends to speak about mental health at a local “Ignite” event in Cardiff – where speakers are allocated 5 minutes to speak about anything they want.

After doing so, she soon realised that there were many women that’d also shared a similar experience to her. This soon led to more speaking engagements and consultations with businesses on how they are better able to support their staff’s mental health.

Soon after, My Discomb was born.

I should say, that this podcast was recorded earlier on this year (pre-covid) in the bank vault at Cardiff-based Little Man Coffee Co — check it out if you happen to be in the city and a want a nice brew.

During the episode, we chat about the motivations behind Laura starting My Discombob, as well as her experience with perinatal and postnatal depression. We talk parenting, teaching kids about mental health and giving them the tools to express their emotions from a young age. We talk leaving the corporate world to pursue freelance and the importance of being happy in the workplace. We talk public speaking, panic attacks and nervous breakdowns. We talk the perils of social media, the pressure of the mainstream press and celebrities taking their own lives.

In line with being discombobulated, our chat does really go all over the place, but I love having conversations like that where we go down all sorts of different rabbit holes. I try and let my curiosity lead me and the conversation just flow.

Right ‘en, enough from me…please enjoy my chat with the funny and lovely, Laura Jane Dernie.

In this episode, I chat to my mate Daniel James: a coach, personal trainer and podcaster from Nottingham.

On his podcast (The Prime Life Project), Dan helps guide listeners in the right direction regarding wellbeing, fat loss, mental health and mindset, by drawing on his many years of experience working in the fitness industry.

In its essence, the podcast is all about helping people to realise and achieve their full potential, so that they can align with being the best version of themselves. He chats with various guests about their own personal stories, as well as sharing his own insight.

In this episode, Daniel shares his own journey in great depth, with complete openness and transparency, from football goalkeeper to successful coach and personal trainer, he talks about how that from a young age, he was always overly critical of himself — both on and off the pitch. Instead of learning from his perceived mistakes, he would beat himself up and ruminate on them over and over. This gradually made his mind a very volatile place to be.

This harsh and ruthless inner dialogue followed him across the pond to the states, where he continued to play football on a scholarship while he studied. Then one day, Daniel got physically assaulted by somebody when under the influence of alcohol. After this event, he vowed that he’d never drink again, as the prospect of not being able to defend himself was scary. This also coincided with him deciding to pursue bodybuilding and packing on the muscle, which acted as both a coping and defence mechanism for him. In his last year of uni, Dan became very insular and withdrawn, barely scraping through.

Daniel soon returned to the UK upon the completion of his studies and began work as a PT. Despite working at a prestigious gym within an industry he was once passionate about, Dan felt hollow and empty. He soon found himself in a state where in his own words, he says that he “didn’t want to be awake”, spiralling down into a depressive slump before hitting rock bottom.

It was from these depths, that Dan gradually started to pick himself back up. He began to wake up and realise the error of his ways and that he was wearing a mask. He explains exactly how he did it and what he realised about himself along the way in the episode. Now, his mission in life is to help as many people as possible not feel as shit as he did.

Thematically, we also cover:

Coaching others, mindset, self talk, relationships, dyslexia, goal-setting, manifestation, visualisation, meditation, purpose, gratitude, self-awareness and the pursuit of happiness.

I know you're going to get a lot of value out of this one and I hope you enjoy it.

In this episode — the 50th episode, in fact — I chat to comedian, podcaster and life coach from the US of A, Leo Flowers.

Leo is the host of a suicide prevention podcast called “Before You Kill Yourself”, in which he interviews other mental health experts, comedians and best-selling authors, with the aim of destigmatising mental health and helping his listeners to thrive.

This is a really wide-ranging chat that covers a lot of different subject matter. We delve into Leo’s background as an American football player and what prompted him to want to study psychology. We also talk about his journey towards the life coaching work that he does today, as well as his work as a stand-up comic.

In addition to this, we also talk in depth about Leo’s experiences with suicidal ideation and making plans to end his life, something that ultimately, he has found a way to manage and overcome by finding so many reasons to live.

Thematically, we also cover:

Visualisation, the mind of an athlete, suicide, nutrition, the importance of sleep, CBT, routine, discipline, self-limiting beliefs, cultivating self-awareness, journalling, staying curious, meditation and gratitude.

Hope you enjoy our conversation. Much love.