The Keep Smiling Podcast

Welcome back to another solo episode! Today I'm discussing the complex and intricate process of my fitness journey. How I went from being bed bound, to running half marathons, to now strength training... and how beneficial maintaining a level of consistency within my fitness routine has been for my mental health, self confidence, social confidence and overall my sense of value and purpose. 

Embarking on this massive lifestyle transformation has allowed me to develop a far more positive and healthy relationship with my body - due to embracing my bodies abilities and strengths, and totally eliminating scales from my life. Learning to respect and celebrate my body, rather than abusing it.  

Additionally, I discuss the countless incredible opportunities which has come as a result, and why I have now decided to totally changed my degree and future career path.  

Attending the gym, keeping fit, setting goals, involving myself with like-minded, motivated individuals has been the key to not only my physical recovery and progression, but also my mental growth, sense of self, identity and has ultimately become such a valuable and healthy coping mechanism  - which I hope I am able to explain and justify within this episode.

Welcome back to another episode! Today, we're going solo. 

Just a simple, classic Q and A, where I discuss weight gain and the emotional effect of having to buy bigger clothing, adjusting my mindset to prevent myself from seeing numbers as defining digits to represent my worth, and also my advice on binge eating recovery. 

I also chat about how to transform negative life experiences to lessons and avenues for unexpected, yet beneficial growth and maturity. 

Confidence is also a key topic in this episode, discussing the importance of prioritising yourself, rather than focusing on others' judgements or perceptions.

I am joined by Josceline (@HoneyAreYouHappy), a psychology graduate who has worked with countless mental health and eating disorder charities to raise awareness, due to her previous experiences of mental health conditions, including anorexia. 

In this episode, our conversation focuses highly on the brutal and traumatic reality of living with an eating disorder, discussing the exhausting misconceptions and stigmas attached, the development of anger, frustration and anxiety triggered by the recovery process and it’s detrimental effect of familial relationships. 

We discuss the true severity and addition of the disorder. How life can become very dark, emotional, seemingly valuless and the process of losing your identity to the anorexia. 

We raise the topic of re-feeding, experiences of hospitalisation and having to face these overwhelming phobias of food. Josceline spent a prolonged period of time as an inpatient, unlike myself, therefore it was massively insightful and educational to hear about her difficult and complex time as an inpatient. 

We also talk about our ‘light bulb moments’ and Josceline opens up about her experiences with CBT and having to open up about her traumatic childhood. 

Overall, we have a very open and raw conversation about our experiences with anorexia. How our stories both relate and differ. 

Today I am joined by Millie Cvjetkovic (@milliecvj) A chemist working in the nuclear industry, ibd warrior, a previous powerlifter whom is now embarking on her bodybuilding journey. 

Millie opens up about her complex life journey - her previous experiences of trauma from a young age, disordered eating, binge eating disorder and her diagnosis her chronic illness of ibd – inflammatory bowel disease. 

Despite her countless struggles and challenges she has had to face, she has grown and flourished into an incredibly intelligent, inspirational and beautiful young lady. 

She speaks about her journey of development, progression, self acceptance and self love, and how her previous difficulties have only built her into the resilient, determined and confident Millie we know today. 

We both talk about our individual experiences of eating disorders, discussing our relatable stories – so I just want to warn due to possible triggering conversations. 

Today I am joined by a good friend of mine, Josh (@joshkingfitness). Similarly, to myself, Josh is a huge fitness enthusiast. He is a personal trainer, online coach and fitness model. 

However despite our shared passion for training, in this podcast we talk in depth about self care, mindfulness and essential ways to control your emotions and overall, optimising your mindset. 

Josh speaks openly about his experiences with receiving therapy and shares the lessons and benefits of his weekly appointments – explaining how attending therapy is a key tool for anyone and everyone, and has given him the power to unlock mental strategies, understand his mind and live a more productive life. 

We both discuss our mental health, how lockdown has challenged us and how towards the beginning, it somewhat felt as if we lost our identity. 

Overall, this podcast is focused on all things psychology and we hope our discussions reminds you of the essentiality of prioritising your mental health as well as your physical health. 

Josh's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC483RbcRoS3EGI3ICznc8LQ

Today I am finally joined by one of my closest friends – Alex Buley (@buleyfit)

Alex is a 22 year old, Motorsport Engineering graduate from Bristol, with a massive passion for all things sports – from swimming, to his career in gymnastics to race car driving.

In this podcast, we talk about Alex’s growth and development. How he progressed throughout life despite the numerous challenges he’s faced, including low self esteem, eating disorders and a complex academic career.

We talk about celebrating weight gain, the harmful reality of diet culture, the weight loss industry and how detrimental this can be to vulnerable mindsets – especially within the 21st century with social media being so prevalent.

Today I am joined with Steven Phillips (@_stevenphysique), a fellow content creator and fitness enthusiast, who I met during last years BodyPower in May.

Steven is a full time coach and bodybuilder, with a degree in nutrition. 

In this episode, we talk about our experiences of personal growth, building a profitable career whilst  pursuing passions, maintaining motivation, prioritisation and learning to enjoy and embrace every element of life.

We also talk about how University is an essential tool for not only receiving a qualification, but also for gaining fond life experiences and transferable skills to take on with you.

Mental health was also a key topic, discussing about the essentiality of accepting emotions, processing, leaning, evaluating, for overall progress.

This week, I am joined by a good friend and fellow podcast host of the ‘AntiBro Show’, Jack Macdonald (@theantibro_jack). We speak all things self-development, growth, the importance of your environment, setting productive routines, and how essential it is to surround yourself with likeminded, motivated people. We also spoke about both the negatives and positives of social media, discussing the toxicity but also the countless opportunities it can also provide. 

Jack is a bodybuilder, hoping to compete next year, therefore we spoke in depth about his fitness journey and experience of this sport, what he’s learned along the way, after transitioning from playing basketball semi-professionally. Hope you enjoy the podcast!