The Life of Bryony

On this weeks bonus episode, Bryony sits down with writer, creator and “sober mum” Cat Sims for a brilliantly honest conversation about the three things that help her live her best life.

From daily AA meetings and the reality of long-term sobriety, to why she unapologetically takes solo trips away from her family for four nights at a time, Cat opens up about the routines and boundaries that keep her sane. The pair also get into the double standards around motherhood, the joy of being alone, and why making a cup of tea for one can feel oddly euphoric.

Cat also reveals the surprisingly therapeutic habit that might just change your life, having full-blown conversations with yourself while walking around the park in AirPods.

Funny, raw and wildly relatable, this is a conversation about recovery, motherhood, freedom, and finding small ways to hold onto yourself in the chaos of everyday life.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU

Got something to share? Message us on @lifeofbryonypod on Instagram.

If this episode resonated with you, please share it with someone who might need it – it really helps! Bryony xx

CREDITS:

Host: Bryony Gordon

Guest: Matt Haig

Producer: Laura Elwood-Craig 

Assistant Producer: Tippi Willard 

Studio Manager: Mitchell Lias

Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini

Editor: Rowan Jacobs

Exec Producer: Jamie East 

A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, I’m joined by writer, creator and fellow sober woman Cat Sims for a conversation that is raw, funny, uncomfortable in places, and deeply hopeful. We talk about what “functioning alcoholism” really looks like when you’re a mother, why so many women struggle in silence, and the strange loneliness of feeling completely out of control while still appearing to hold everything together.

Cat opens up about blackout drinking, cocaine, shame, motherhood, marriage, and the terrifying moments that finally forced her to confront her addiction. We also talk about recovery, AA, emotional sobriety, social media, parenting teenage daughters, and why learning to apologise might be one of the bravest things a person can do.

This episode is for anyone who has ever wondered if their drinking has become a problem, and for anyone who needs reminding that change is possible, even when it feels impossible.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU

Got something to share? Message us on @lifeofbryonypod on Instagram.

If this episode resonated with you, please share it with someone who might need it – it really helps! Bryony xx

CREDITS:

Host: Bryony Gordon

Guest: Cat Sims 

Producer: Laura Elwood-Craig 

Assistant Producer: Tippi Willard 

Studio Manager: Mitchell Lias

Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini

Editor: Rowan Jacobs

Exec Producer: Jamie East 

A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Matt Haig is back for this bonus episode! After our main conversation about The Midnight Train and his mental health journey, I wanted to dig into the three things he actually leans on when his brain wants to sprint off in twelve different directions at once. Matt talks honestly about addiction, breakdown and why undiagnosed ADHD made his life feel like constant self-sabotage. He shares how the “boring” stuff – sleep, routine and structure – became his first line of defence, why sobriety turned out to be the most exhilarating decision of his life, and how love, friendship and family stopped him disappearing into the darkness. If your mind feels messy, addictive or out of control, this episode is a reminder that you don’t need perfect habits – just a few non-negotiables that help you keep going.

BOOKS DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE

Matt’s new book, The Midnight Train, is available to buy from 21st May.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU

Got something to share? Message us on @lifeofbryonypod on Instagram.

If this episode resonated with you, please share it with someone who might need it – it really helps! Bryony xx

CREDITS:

Host: Bryony Gordon

Guest: Matt Haig

Producer: Laura Elwood-Craig

Assistant Producer: Tippi Willard 

Studio Manager: Mitchell Lias

Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini

Editor: Rowan Jacobs

Exec Producer: Jamie East 

A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, I’m joined by Matt Haig – bestselling author, mental health advocate, and the man whose books have quietly sat on so many of our bedside tables, getting us through the dark nights. Matt’s new novel, The Midnight Train, returns to the universe of The Midnight Library and asks what happens when we stop chasing “what if” and start making peace with the life we’ve actually lived. We talk about depression, suicide, and what it really feels like to be trapped in your own mind – and why survival, not tragedy, is now the story we should tell about mental illness. Matt opens up about late-diagnosed autism and ADHD, agoraphobia, shame, and shoplifting, and how all of it somehow turned him into a writer. We also explore why books are still the bravest kind of media, how travel helped his recovery, and why he now dreams of opening a bookshop. If you’ve ever felt like the odd one out, like you’re “too much” or “not enough”, this conversation will make you feel a little more seen – and a little less alone.

BOOKS DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE

Matt’s new book, The Midnight Train, is available to buy from 21st May.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU

Got something to share? Message us on @lifeofbryonypod on Instagram.

If this episode resonated with you, please share it with someone who might need it – it really helps! Bryony xx

CREDITS:

Host: Bryony Gordon

Guest: Matt Haig

Producer: Laura Elwood-Craig 

Assistant Producer: Tippi Willard 

Studio Manager: Mitchell Lias

Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini

Editor: Rowan Jacobs

Exec Producer: Jamie East 

A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In our first conversation, Paris Paloma talked about patriarchy, protest songs and mental illness; now I’m asking her a different question: what are the three things she absolutely cannot live without when the world feels too loud? From the chaos of the music industry to the emotional toll of being permanently online, Paris shares the small, grounding essentials that keep her tethered to herself and her joy. We talk about what really sustains her offstage, how she carves out space to be a human being as well as an artist, and why learning to ask for what you need is not “being a diva” – it is survival.

ALBUM DETAILS:

Paris’ new album, Fatal Flaw is released on 4th September 2026.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU

Got something to share? Message us on @lifeofbryonypod on Instagram.

If this episode resonated with you, please share it with someone who might need it – it really helps! Bryony xx

CREDITS:

Host: Bryony Gordon

Guest: Paris Paloma

Producer: Laura Elwood-Craig

Assistant Producer: Tippi Willard 

Studio Manager: Mitchell Lias

Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini

Editor: Luke Shelley

Exec Producer: Jamie East 

A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest this week is my new musical obsession, Paris Paloma – an artist whose songs about diet culture, ageism, mental illness and toxic beauty standards have racked up hundreds of millions of streams around the world. Paris writes blisteringly honest music about what it means to live as a woman under patriarchy, and why so many of us are taught to shrink ourselves just to survive. We talk about the viral success of “Labour” and the messages she gets from listeners who say her work has transformed the way they see themselves and their place in the world. We dig into what it means to be labelled a “political” artist, why nothing is truly apolitical, and how patriarchy harms men as well as women. Paris also opens up about depression, therapy and the “warring parts” of herself that inspired her song “Hunter”, and why turning pain into art can be a lifeline.

ALBUM DETAILS:

Paris’ new album, Fatal Flaw is releasing on the 4th September 2026.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU

Got something to share? Message us on @lifeofbryonypod on Instagram.

If this episode resonated with you, please share it with someone who might need it – it really helps! Bryony xx

CREDITS:

Host: Bryony Gordon

Guest: Paris Paloma

Producer: Laura Elwood-Craig 

Assistant Producer: Tippi Willard 

Studio Manager: Mitchell Lias

Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini

Editor: Luke Shelley

Exec Producer: Jamie East 

A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Ruby Wax is back and, instead of talking about fame and despots, she’s letting us into the three things she genuinely can’t live without.

These are the anchors she leans on when life feels a bit wobbly and she needs something to bring her back to herself – from the pills that keep her stable, to the “mind gym” practices that help her stay present, to the furry companions who somehow make everything softer and funnier. We talk about what actually supports her day-to-day, how she keeps herself on a more even keel, and why looking after your mind is mostly about small, consistent acts of care. If you’ve ever wondered what really keeps Ruby steady(-ish), this episode is for you

USEFUL LINKS:

Tickets to Ruby’s tour, Absolutely Famous, can be bought here.

And you can join Frazzled Café online 7 days a week here: https://www.frazzledcafe.org/ 

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU

Got something to share? Message us on @lifeofbryonypod on Instagram.

If this episode resonated with you, please share it with someone who might need it – it really helps! Bryony xx

CREDITS:

Host: Bryony Gordon

Guest: Ruby Wax

Producer: Laura Elwood-Craig

Assistant Producer: Tippi Willard 

Studio Manager: Mitchell Lias

Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini

Editor: Rowan Jacobs

Exec Producer: Jamie East 

A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, I’m joined by Ruby Wax – comedy hurricane, TV icon and the woman who gave many of us permission to talk honestly about our own “mad” minds. Ruby looks back on the glory days of nineties telly, when she was let loose on the world’s biggest names and told to make mischief – all while quietly battling depression behind the scenes. We talk about fame as an addiction, why being liked felt like her life support, and how she ended up in clinic even when everything looked perfect on paper. There are unforgettable stories of chaotic interviews with Madonna and Trump, surreal dinners with Fergie and Andrew, and despots who thought she was their new best friend – plus what all of that taught her about ego, fear and survival. If you’ve ever wondered how someone can be the funniest person in the room and still be struggling inside, this episode will stay with you long after you’ve listened.

USEFUL LINKS:

Tickets to Ruby’s tour, Absolutely Famous, can be bought here.

And you can join Frazzled Café online 7 days a week here: https://www.frazzledcafe.org/ 

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU

Got something to share? Message us on @lifeofbryonypod on Instagram.

If this episode resonated with you, please share it with someone who might need it – it really helps! Bryony xx

CREDITS:

Host: Bryony Gordon

Guest: Ruby Wax

Producer: Laura Elwood-Craig 

Assistant Producer: Tippi Willard 

Studio Manager: Mitchell Lias

Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini

Editor: Rowan Jacobs

Exec Producer: Jamie East 

A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr Sian Williams is back! In our main episode we talked about anxiety, overwhelm and why so many of us feel like we’re just white-knuckling our way through the week; now Sian is sharing the three things she personally leans on to keep herself grounded. We talk about the movement that gets her out of her head and back into her body, how her five kids quietly (and not so quietly) keep her ego in check, and why music – from upbeat playlists, to first gigs to an unexpectedly brilliant Barry Manilow study – has shaped the way she thinks about confidence, nostalgia and not caring what other people think. If you’re juggling a busy brain, big feelings and a lot of responsibilities, this one’s for you

BOOKS DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE

Sian’s new book, The Power of Anxiety, is available to buy now.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU

Got something to share? Message us on @lifeofbryonypod on Instagram.

If this episode resonated with you, please share it with someone who might need it – it really helps! Bryony xx

CREDITS:

Host: Bryony Gordon

Guest: Sian Williams

Producer: Laura Elwood-Craig

Assistant Producer: Tippi Willard 

Studio Manager: Mitchell Lias

Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini

Editor: Luke Shelley

Exec Producer: Jamie East 

A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week I’m joined by Dr Sian Williams – former BBC news anchor turned NHS counselling psychologist – who has swapped the newsroom for the therapy room to sit with people living through complex trauma, anxiety and stress. She talks about what she’s learned from reporting on some of the world’s worst days and now helping people survive their own, and why so many of us feel we don’t “deserve” our feelings. We get into anxiety as a full-body, thinking-feeling-doing experience, why trying to out-think it only makes it louder, and how to stop self-silencing and people-pleasing at the expense of yourself. Sian shares her “orchids and dandelions” way of understanding highly sensitive people, and why changing your environment – not who you are – is the key to finally feeling like you’re enough. If you’ve ever been told you’re “too sensitive” or wished you could grow a thicker skin, this episode is your reminder that you have always mattered, and your feelings really do count.

BOOKS DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE

Sian’s new book, The Power of Anxiety, is available to buy now.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU

Got something to share? Message us on @lifeofbryonypod on Instagram.

If this episode resonated with you, please share it with someone who might need it – it really helps! Bryony xx

CREDITS:

Host: Bryony Gordon

Guest: Sian Williams

Producer: Laura Elwood-Craig 

Assistant Producer: Tippi Willard 

Studio Manager: Mitchell Lias

Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini

Editor: Luke Shelley

Exec Producer: Jamie East 

A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.