The Home of Wellbeing and Joy

Welcome back to The Mood Booster Podcast. This week is all about learning a language, sparked by our ongoing Spanish lessons and a trip to Italy that ended up testing Dr Marcus in a way he didn't expect. We get into why picking up a new language is so good for you, not just practically, but for your brain itself, and Dr Marcus breaks down the neuroscience behind it, from grey matter to the hippocampus.

🛠 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞: If you've always wanted to learn a language, start, even a single weekly lesson counts. Try attaching meaning and reasoning to what you learn rather than memorising by rote, it helps it stick. Practise little and often outside of lessons, even a short conversation with yourself, your dog, or a podcast in that language helps. Don't be afraid to ask why something works the way it does when you're learning, curiosity speeds up understanding.

And this goes beyond language, whatever you're trying to learn, sitting in that early discomfort of being a beginner again, getting things wrong, feeling slow, this is exactly where you should be! It's a sign that you're growing and expanding (growing pains). That discomfort is usually the exact thing that pays off later.

📍 𝐏𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐝: Introspection and Deliberation, Wellbeing and Joy, Community and Connection

The Home of Wellbeing and Joy

Welcome back to The Mood Booster Podcast. This week's episode is dedicated entirely to the sun, recorded outside in the park in the sun itself. Charlie and Dr Marcus share what the sun genuinely means to them, trace sun worship back through ancient mythology, and get into the real science of how sunlight affects your circadian rhythm, your skin and your wellbeing. It is 49 minutes of warmth, in every sense.

Charlie and Dr Marcus share what the sun personally means to them, from presence and relaxation to a sense of new beginnings, before tracing sun worship back through ancient mythology, Ra, Helios and beyond. They get into the science next, circadian rhythm, melatonin, cortisol, and some fascinating research on how infrared light interacts with your skin cells. They also explore the link between sunlight, movement and social connection, touch on the more out there world of sungazing (with a very necessary warning attached), and share the story behind The Mood Booster's brand new sun logo.

Try to get natural sunlight on your eyes soon after waking to help set your circadian rhythm for the day. In the evening, dim the lights where you can to support your body's natural melatonin production. On cloudy or winter days, make the intentional effort to go outside anyway, the benefit is about light and movement, not just clear skies. Never look directly at the sun, sungazing included, the risk of permanent retinal damage is real and not worth it.

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The Home of Wellbeing and Joy

Welcome back to The Mood Booster Podcast. This week is a lighter one, a proper round up of good news from around the world and closer to home. Marcus has shaved his head, Charlie's best friends just got married, and the pair share some genuinely uplifting stories, from fungi helping tackle pollution to a new co-living community for women over 50 in North London. It is 36 minutes of pure mood boosting.

🎧 𝐈𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞:

Charlie and Dr Marcus kick off with Marcus's new shaved head after being best man at his friends' wedding, before moving into a full round up of good news stories. They cover breakthroughs in fungi and seaweed being used to help tackle plastic and pollution, a new women only co-living community in North London built to fight loneliness, and the Library Dads, a group of fathers in Atlanta bonding with their kids over books. They also share some good news closer to home, including a huge sobriety milestone for one of their Run Club ambassadors and a new baby in the community.

🛠 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞:

Make space in your week to actively seek out good news rather than only consuming what the algorithm feeds you. Share your own good news with the people around you, it is contagious. Small community efforts, a library group, a co-living space, a run club, can create a genuine sense of belonging. Celebrating other people's wins, big or small, is its own form of joy.

📍 𝐏𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐝: Community and Connection, Introspection and Inspiration, Wellbeing and Joy

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⚠️ 𝐀 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡

This episode discusses alcohol and drinking habits openly and honestly. If you are currently struggling with your relationship with alcohol, please take care while watching, and know that support is available. Alcoholics Anonymous Great Britain offers a free, confidential national helpline on 0800 9177 650, along with local meetings and online support, more information can be found at alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk. Drinkaware also offers a free helpline on 0300 123 1110 for anyone concerned about their own drinking or someone else's.

Welcome back to The Mood Booster Podcast. This is episode 82, recorded on a beach the morning after a very lively 30th birthday weekend. Charlie and Dr Marcus start with the usual chaos, pet hates, a game of The Traitors gone wrong, a chaotic sports day, before settling into a properly honest conversation about alcohol. They talk through why drinking is so tied up with socialising, the concept of needing a third thing to bond over, and where non-alcoholic alternatives fit into all of that.

🎧 𝐈𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞:

The pair reflect on the weekend just gone, a birthday game of The Traitors and a chaotic sports day, before getting into the real conversation of the episode. They unpack why alcohol so often becomes the third thing that makes socialising easier, particularly for men, and why some friendships lean so heavily on the pub setting to exist at all. They talk candidly about not drinking around certain people without it needing to mean anything deeper, the rise of non-alcoholic beer as a genuine middle ground, and how growing more comfortable in yourself can naturally shift your relationship with drinking over time.

🛠 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞:

If someone chooses not to drink around you, it is not a judgement of you, so try not to take it personally. A non-alcoholic drink can be a genuine middle ground rather than an all or nothing choice. Notice if you are using alcohol as the only third thing in a friendship, and try building connection around an activity instead, a run, a coffee, a game. Growing more comfortable in yourself often naturally changes how much you feel you need a drink to enjoy an evening.

☀️ 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝐈𝐬 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐝𝐥𝐲 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐆𝐨𝐝

We are so excited to announce that The Mood Booster is now an official partner of SunGod. SunGod are a British eyewear brand built for adventure, trail runs, race days or just a sunny walk with the dog. They are a certified B Corp, fully carbon neutral, and every pair comes with a lifetime guarantee. As part of our partnership, SunGod are giving our community 20% off their entire range, just use the code MOODBOOSTERMEMBER20 at checkout.

👉 Shop SunGod: https://www.sungod.co/en-gb

📍 𝐏𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐝: Community and Connection, Introspection and Inspiration, Wellbeing and Joy

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Welcome back to The Mood Booster Podcast. This is episode 81, and it is a special one, it is Dr Marcus's 30th birthday. What starts as total chaos, surprise reveals, multilingual intros and a very committed Happy Birthday singalong, turns into one of the most honest conversations the pair have had. Once the banter settles, Charlie asks Dr Marcus to reflect properly on turning 30, what has gotten easier and harder with age, and the two dig into people pleasing, assertiveness, and what it actually takes to lead a community with kindness.

🎧 𝐈𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞:

Dr Marcus opens up about the strange feeling of not wanting the weekend to arrive because he knows he will love it too much, and why surprises mean so much to him even though he did not grow up having them. From there the conversation turns properly reflective, what has changed and what has stayed the same as he has gotten older, why he has always struggled to be assertive, how being a people pleaser and the order he was born in his family have shaped that, and why he wants to get better at standing by his own vision as he builds something to help so many people.

🛠 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞:

You can be assertive and kind at the same time, they are not opposites. Being clear about what you need is not the same as being rude or bossy. Ask for what you want directly instead of burying it in apologies and exclamation marks. If someone cannot get behind your vision, that does not mean you were wrong to have one, sometimes it just means their chapter with you is finished.

📍 𝐏𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐝: Community and Connection, Introspection and Inspiration, Wellbeing and Joy

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Welcome back to The Mood Booster Podcast. This week Charlie is fresh back from two weeks in Kenya and Dr Marcus is deep in England fever, and the pair end up in one of those conversations that starts as pure chaos and turns into something genuinely reflective, what you actually wanted to be when you grew up, and why so few of us end up there. Expect football banter, a fully committed Bolt singalong, and then a proper dive into psychology, the changing world of work, and why we lose our sense of childhood wonder.

🎧 𝐈𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞:

Charlie shares stories from speaking to safari guides and rangers in Kenya about how career expectations there are shaped by what your parents did, which opens up a wider conversation about social learning theory and how much of our own career choices are inherited from watching our parents rather than genuinely chosen. From there the conversation moves into the changing world of work, why leaving university and landing a stable job feels so much harder now than it did for previous generations, and why more people than ever are building their own patchwork careers instead of climbing one company ladder for 40 years. The episode closes on something softer, the idea that children dream in wonder and imagination, and that as adults we lose that unless we are intentional about bringing it back.

🛠 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞:

Do not put pressure on yourself to turn what you love into your job straight away. Start with the things you loved as a kid as hobbies first, not career plans. Notice where you might be modelling your parents' choices rather than choosing intentionally. Make space weekly for one small thing that brings back that childhood sense of fun, whether that is horse riding, art, or just play for the sake of it.

📍 𝐏𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐝: Community and Connection, Introspection and Inspiration, Wellbeing and Joy

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The Home of Wellbeing and Joy

Welcome back to The Mood Booster Podcast. This week, Charlie and Dr Marcus get into laughter itself. Why we do it, what it means when we do it together, and what it says about us when we can't stop even though we know we shouldn't. From a live laugh for a minute challenge to a proper psychology deep dive, this one is pure joy from start to finish.

🎧 𝐈𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞:

Charlie and Dr Marcus explore why we laugh, starting with a live laugh for a minute challenge and moving into benign violation theory, the idea that we find something funny when it breaks a social norm in a way that feels safe rather than threatening. They both take Rod Martin's Humour Styles Questionnaire live, a real psychometric tool used in humour research, and compare where they land across the four humour styles. Along the way there is an honest moment on self deprecating humour and what it can signal about confidence.

🛠 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞:

📍 𝐏𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐝: Introspection and Inspiration, Wellbeing and Joy, Community and Connection

📚 𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬: Martin, R. A., Puhlik Doris, P., Larsen, G., Gray, J., and Weir, K. (2003). Individual differences in uses of humor and their relation to psychological wellbeing: Development of the Humor Styles Questionnaire. Journal of Research in Personality, 37(1), 48 to 75.

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The Home of Wellbeing and Joy

Welcome back to The Mood Booster Podcast. This week, Charlie and Dr Marcus sit down in Hyde Park with Hatty Grant, events manager, Monday Mood Booster ambassador, and someone who has spent the last year quietly transforming her relationship with her health, her body, and herself. Hatty has been part of the Mood Booster community since January and has already become one of its most vital voices. This is one of the most honest conversations we have had on the podcast. No perfect narrative, no filters, just the real stuff.

🎧 𝐈𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞:

Hatty was diagnosed with PCOS at 16 and discovered she had diabetes as an adult. That second diagnosis became the turning point. In this episode she takes us through what her relationship with her body looked like before this chapter began, the moment she decided something had to change, her experience using a GLP1 as part of that journey, and the judgment she faced from others and from herself along the way. She also speaks beautifully about body neutrality over body positivity, what running and community have done for her that no medication could, and where she finds genuine joy now that the noise has quieted down.

🛠 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞:

From learning to fuel your body properly rather than restrict it, to understanding the difference between body positivity and body neutrality, to choosing yourself without needing anyone else's approval, this episode is packed with warm, grounded, and genuinely useful insight. Whether you are at the start of a health journey, somewhere in the middle, or simply tired of feeling like you are doing it wrong, this one is for you.

📍 𝐏𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐝: Community and Connection, Introspection and Inspiration, Wellbeing and Joy

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The Home of Wellbeing and Joy

Welcome back to The Mood Booster Podcast. This week, Charlie and Dr Marcus are joined by Steve Day, founder of Imagination Running, community runner, psychology student, and one of the most honest guests we have ever had on the pod. Before we get into Steve's story, we open with a letter from a member of our community: a 42-year-old who has worked in retail since the age of 15, who desperately wants to change direction but is asking themselves whether it is too late. Steve's answer, in every sense, is his life.

Please note that this episode contains open discussion of mental health crisis, alcohol abuse, drug use, and time spent in residential rehabilitation. We have included some links and resources below for anyone who needs them. As always, we are grateful you are here.

https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/mental-health-services/ https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/ https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan/

🎧 𝐈𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞:

Steve had it all on paper. Corporate career, house, car, family. But behind it he was exhausted, unfulfilled, and heading toward a mental health crisis he did not see coming. In this episode, he takes us through the heart scare at 30 that first got him moving, the panic and anxiety that built quietly through his corporate years, how the pandemic became an unexpected catalyst for change, and what it actually took to walk away from everything and start again at 40. He now runs Imagination Running, is studying for an undergraduate degree in psychology, and got a first in his most recent module. This is one of the most open, warm, and quietly courageous conversations we have had.

🛠 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞:

From understanding your why before you make a leap, to using movement as a genuine mental health tool, to knowing the difference between being comfortable and being stuck, this episode is packed with lived, honest insight on what it takes to start over. Whether you are 25 or 52, if you have ever felt like the life you are living does not quite fit, this one is for you.

📍 𝐏𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐝: Community and Connection, Introspection and Inspiration, Wellbeing and Joy

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We Ran 123km in Under 24 Hours. Here's What Actually Happened | EP - 76 | The Mood Booster

Welcome back to The Mood Booster Podcast. This week, Charlie and Dr Marcus are sitting down with their hard earned medals and doing something they have been saving for the pod: a proper, honest debrief of the most physically demanding thing either of them has ever done.

Six months ago, they said yes to running the National Forest Way Ultra 75 by Beacon Hill Events. 123 kilometres. 22 hours and 47 minutes. Vomit, blood, blisters, rain, and a fence they had to scale in the dark at 1am. This is all of it.

🎧 𝐈𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞:

Charlie and Dr Marcus take you through every stage of their inaugural ultramarathon, from the 5am start line and imposter syndrome in the dark, to poppy fields at 60K, a full panic attack at 80K, blisters that required medics at the 70K aid station, and a final 10K that was almost entirely uphill through brambles and tree roots at midnight. They also explore what the experience revealed about pain, partnership, the mental game of endurance, and two very different ways of coping when your body wants to stop but your mind refuses to let it. 

🛠 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞:

From breaking a race down into manageable blocks, to the psychology of not giving pain the air time it needs to take hold, to the role that partnership plays when solo willpower runs out, this episode is full of honest, lived insight on what it actually takes to do something that feels impossible. Whether you are a runner or not, this one is for anyone who has ever had to find something extra when they had nothing left. 

📍 𝐏𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐝: Community and Connection, Introspection and Inspiration, Wellbeing and Joy

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