Tickety Boo - Exploring Mental Health with Care and Compassion

Welcome to the first State of the Nation—a new regular feature on Tickety Boo, where the hosts ask each other one meaningful question and discover what those answers might reveal about our own lives.

This isn't an interview.

It's a conversation.

In this first episode, Andy, Iona, and Phil Upton each take a turn in the hot seat.

Phil reflects on his decision to step away from breakfast radio after decades as one of its familiar voices. He talks about recognising the impact the job was having on his health and wellbeing, and why sometimes success means having the courage to walk away.

Iona opens up about carrying more loss in the past year than many people experience in a lifetime. She shares what it's like to keep showing up for other people while quietly carrying grief of your own, and how loss changes the way you see the world.

Then the spotlight turns to Andy with one deceptively simple question:

"If you woke up tomorrow and nobody needed anything from you… who would you be?"

It's a question about identity, purpose, and how easily we can become defined by what we do for everyone else.

Together, these conversations explore:

• Knowing when it's time to make a life-changing decision
• Living with grief while life carries on around you
• The pressure of always being the one others rely on
• Who we are beyond our careers, responsibilities, and roles
• Why asking better questions can change the way we see ourselves

There aren't any easy answers in this episode.

Just three honest conversations that might encourage you to ask yourself some questions you've been avoiding.

🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts & YouTube

🔗 Stay connected with Tickety Boo / Piece of Mind:

📲 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/pieceofminduk

📲 Facebook https://www.facebook.com/PieceOfMindUK

🌍 Podcast hub https://www.piece-of-mind.co.uk/podcast

🎥 Watch full episodes on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@pieceofmindtherapy

Life is complicated.

But how much of that is life… and how much of it is us?

In this episode of Tickety Boo, we explore why we often make life far harder than it needs to be.

We say yes when we want to say no. We put everyone else first. We ignore our own boundaries. Then we wonder why we feel overwhelmed, frustrated, and disconnected.

We talk about:

• Why people-pleasing quietly steals your peace
• The power of pausing before you automatically say "yes"
• How your values can become a compass for better decisions
• Why boundaries aren't about pushing people away—they're about protecting what matters most
• And one simple question that can change the way you make decisions:

"Will this take me closer to the life I want... or further away from it?"

Whether you value peace, family, adventure, learning, connection, or freedom, your daily choices either move you towards those things or away from them.

Sometimes the answer isn't to do more.

It's to stop, reflect, and ask yourself if you're living according to your values—or someone else's expectations.

If you've been feeling pulled in a hundred different directions, this episode will help you simplify what really matters.

🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts & YouTube

🔗 Stay connected with Tickety Boo / Piece of Mind:

📲 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/pieceofminduk

📲 Facebook https://www.facebook.com/PieceOfMindUK

🌍 Podcast hub https://www.piece-of-mind.co.uk/podcast

🎥 Watch full episodes on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@pieceofmindtherapy

Ever feel like you're not exhausted... just numb? That's not burnout — that's BoreOut.

In this episode of The Tickety Boo Podcast, we unpack the sweet spot between burnout and boredom — that flat, going-through-the-motions feeling that comes from too much comfort, not too much stress. We talk about what BoreOut actually looks like, why it's so often missed or misdiagnosed, and how to find your way back to purpose, energy, and meaning.

If you've been feeling stuck, uninspired, or like you're just coasting through your days, this one's for you. Find your middle ground. Live a life that lights you up.

🎧 WHAT YOU'LL LEARN: - What BoreOut is and how it differs from burnout - The warning signs of too much comfort in work and life - How to rebuild purpose, energy, and meaning - Practical steps to find your "sweet spot"

🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts & YouTube

🔗 STAY CONNECTED WITH TICKETY BOO / PIECE OF MIND: 📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pieceofminduk 📱 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PieceOfMindUK 🌍 Podcast hub: https://www.piece-of-mind.co.uk/podcast 📺 Watch full episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@pieceofmindtherapy

#BoreOut #Burnout #MentalHealthAtWork #WorkplaceWellbeing #TicketyBooPodcast #PieceOfMind #EmployeeWellbeing #WorkLifeBalance #MentalHealthFirstAid #FindYourPurpose

Why is it so hard for men to say, "I'm not okay"?

In this longer, deeply personal episode of Tickety Boo, we explore the unspoken rules many boys grow up with.

"Big boys don't cry." "Man up." "Get on with it."

Messages that seem harmless at the time can quietly shape an entire lifetime of carrying everything alone.

Andy and Phil share the internal experience of what it can feel like to be a man trying to hold everything together, while Iona speaks powerfully about the impact of losing her brother to suicide and what it's like for the people left behind.

Together, we talk about:

• Where men learn to hide their emotions
• Why vulnerability can feel so unsafe
• The pressure to be the provider, the protector, and the strong one
• What happens when life becomes too heavy to carry alone
• Why so many men reach crisis point before they ever ask for help
• What families, friends, and workplaces often don't see

This isn't about blaming anyone.

It's about understanding why silence has become normal for so many men—and why that silence is costing lives.

Some parts of this conversation are difficult. Some are heartbreaking.

But if it helps even one person realise they don't have to carry everything on their own, then it's a conversation worth having.

If this episode resonates with you, please share it with someone who might need to hear it. Sometimes a simple conversation can make more difference than we realise.

🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts & YouTube

🔗 Stay connected with Tickety Boo / Piece of Mind:

📲 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/pieceofminduk

📲 Facebook https://www.facebook.com/PieceOfMindUK

🌍 Podcast hub https://www.piece-of-mind.co.uk/podcast

🎥 Watch full episodes on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@pieceofmindtherapy

Your life probably isn't changing because of one big decision.

It's changing because of hundreds of tiny ones.

The people you spend time with. The things you tolerate. The conversations you keep having. The environment you live in. The habits you repeat without even noticing.

In this episode of Tickety Boo, we explore how the smallest choices often have the biggest impact on the direction of your life.

We talk about:

• Why we underestimate the power of tiny daily decisions
• How the people around us quietly shape who we become
• The hidden cost of tolerating things that don't sit right with us
• Why your environment influences your thinking more than you realise
• And how choosing not to make a decision is often a decision in itself

It's easy to believe life changes overnight.

The reality?

Most change happens so gradually that you don't notice it until you look back.

If you've been wondering why you feel stuck, this episode might help you see that it isn't one massive thing holding you back—it's the little things you've stopped noticing.

🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts & YouTube

🔗 Stay connected with Tickety Boo / Piece of Mind:

📲 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/pieceofminduk

📲 Facebook https://www.facebook.com/PieceOfMindUK

🌍 Podcast hub https://www.piece-of-mind.co.uk/podcast

🎥 Watch full episodes on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@pieceofmindtherapy

We've got apps tracking our sleep.

Apps tracking our steps.

Apps tracking our stress, our heart rate, our mood, our breathing, and probably our ability to remember where we left the car keys.

But here's the question:

Have we stopped trusting ourselves?

In this episode of Tickety Boo, we dive into the modern wellness industry and the growing obsession with measuring everything.

We talk about:

• Why so many of us need a watch or an app to tell us how we're feeling
• When self-awareness becomes self-monitoring
• The pressure to optimise every part of life
• Whether wellness is helping us or making us more anxious
• And why sometimes the healthiest thing you can do is stop tracking and start listening

At one point Andy points out that his nan managed to live a pretty good life without a sleep score, recovery score, readiness score, hydration reminder, mindfulness notification, or a smartwatch telling her she'd had a stressful Tuesday.

And somehow... she coped.

This episode is funny, thought-provoking, and asks an important question:

Are we becoming more connected to ourselves... or more dependent on being told how we feel?

🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts & YouTube

🔗 Stay connected with Tickety Boo / Piece of Mind:

📲 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/pieceofminduk

📲 Facebook https://www.facebook.com/PieceOfMindUK

🌍 Podcast hub https://www.piece-of-mind.co.uk/podcast

🎥 Watch full episodes on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@pieceofmindtherapy

This card-pull episode started with a deceptively simple question:

"Are you happy?"

Easy question. Not so easy to answer.

What followed was a surprisingly honest conversation about happiness, expectations, and whether we're all chasing something we haven't properly defined.

In this episode of Tickety Boo, we explore:

• What happiness actually means to different people
• Whether we're supposed to be happy all the time
• Why so many people spend their lives chasing happiness without knowing what it looks like
• The difference between happiness, contentment, fulfilment, and peace
• And how easy it is to overlook the things that genuinely bring us joy

Because maybe the better question isn't:

"Am I happy?"

Maybe it's:

"Do I even know what happiness means to me?"

This is one of those conversations that starts off simple and ends up somewhere much deeper.

If you've ever found yourself wondering why achieving more, buying more, or doing more hasn't quite delivered what you hoped it would, this episode is for you.

🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts & YouTube

🔗 Stay connected with Tickety Boo / Piece of Mind:

📲 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/pieceofminduk

📲 Facebook https://www.facebook.com/PieceOfMindUK

🌍 Podcast hub https://www.piece-of-mind.co.uk/podcast

🎥 Watch full episodes on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@pieceofmindtherapy

Imagine humans came with an instruction manual.

Page one might say:

⚠️ Your brain will occasionally lie to you. ⚠️ Do not make major life decisions when hungry, tired, or scrolling social media at midnight. ⚠️ Handle with care. Contents may be more fragile than they appear.

In this light-hearted episode of Tickety Boo, we have a bit of fun imagining what would actually be written in the owner's manual for being human.

Along the way, we end up talking about:

• Why our brains sometimes convince us of things that aren't true
• The strange ways we sabotage ourselves
• Why emotions don't always make sense
• How life gets easier when you understand your own operating system
• And the lessons most of us wish came in the box

It's funny, reflective, and full of those moments where you laugh... then realise there's probably a bit too much truth in it.

Because if being human came with instructions, most of us would probably skim-read them, lose them, and then spend years trying to figure things out the hard way.

🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts & YouTube

🔗 Stay connected with Tickety Boo / Piece of Mind:

📲 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/pieceofminduk

📲 Facebook https://www.facebook.com/PieceOfMindUK

🌍 Podcast hub https://www.piece-of-mind.co.uk/podcast

🎥 Watch full episodes on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@pieceofmindtherapy

From the outside, it can look like you've got it all together.

You're productive. Reliable. Driven. Always thinking three steps ahead.

But underneath it all?

You're exhausted.

In this episode of Tickety Boo, we explore the world of the anxious achiever — the person whose anxiety helps them succeed, solve problems, and stay ahead… but can also leave them trapped in overthinking, people pleasing, perfectionism, and the constant need to stay in control.

We talk about:

• When anxiety is helpful and when it becomes harmful
• Why some of the most successful people are driven by fear rather than confidence
• The hidden cost of always being "on"
• How control can become a coping mechanism
• And what happens when your self-worth becomes tied to achievement

Because anxiety is a strange thing.

It can help you build a business, raise a family, hit goals, and get things done.

But if you're not careful, it can also convince you that slowing down isn't safe.

If you've ever felt like you're constantly chasing the next thing, solving the next problem, or carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders, this episode will resonate.

🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts & YouTube

🔗 Stay connected with Tickety Boo / Piece of Mind:

📲 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/pieceofminduk

📲 Facebook https://www.facebook.com/PieceOfMindUK

🌍 Podcast hub https://www.piece-of-mind.co.uk/podcast

🎥 Watch full episodes on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@pieceofmindtherapy

How much of life is actually about timing?

In this episode of Tickety Boo, we talk about those moments where life feels off — when you end up in the wrong job, the wrong relationship, the wrong environment… and you can feel deep down that something isn't quite right.

But instead of listening to it, we often force it. Push harder. Try to make it work. Try to keep up with other people's timelines and chapters.

We talk about:

• Why forcing life usually creates more struggle
• The pressure of comparing your journey to everyone else's
• How some paths look right on paper but feel completely wrong inside
• And why sometimes the biggest shift happens when you finally get out of your own way

Because maybe you're not behind. Maybe you're just trying to live a chapter that was never yours to begin with.

This one's reflective, honest, and full of those moments that make you stop and think about where you are… and where you're actually trying to get to.

🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts & YouTube

🔗 Stay connected with Tickety Boo / Piece of Mind:

📲 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/pieceofminduk

📲 Facebook https://www.facebook.com/PieceOfMindUK

🌍 Podcast hub https://www.piece-of-mind.co.uk/podcast

🎥 Watch full episodes on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@pieceofmindtherapy