In this episode Jacky Power shares three practical ways poetry can shift mood, process change, and make sense of big life transitions. Inspired by a conversation between Claire Fitzsimmons and Deborah Alma on A Thought I Kept, this episode explores how poems can be both something we read and something we write to help us feel differently.We discuss how a poem can create collective feeling, why humor can interrupt a spiral of overwhelm, and how playful writing can hold grief and hope at the same time.

Key topics

• In this episode: Jacky explains why Deb Alma’s idea behind the Poetry Pharmacy resonated so strongly, especially the belief that poems can change how we feel.
• She describes using Danusha Laméris’s Small Kindnesses in a local poetry group, where reading about tiny acts of care helped soften a grumpy winter mood and sparked gratitude.
• Jacky’s first technique is writing a story-poem in the third person, based on Patrick Carnes’s idea from Betrayal Bonds, to create emotional distance and see your own story with more compassion.
• Her poem Once Upon a Time uses a fairy-tale frame to talk about dismantling old narratives, letting go of self-censorship, and moving forward without needing everything to be factually literal.
• She emphasises that poetry does not have to be “true” in a literal sense to be emotionally true, and that suspending self-judgment can open up new meaning.
• Her second technique is using humour to break a “despair magnet” mindset, where one worry leads to another until everything feels overwhelming.
• She shares a deliberately absurd to-do list poem to show how exaggeration and silliness can restore perspective when ordinary responsibilities feel endless.
• Her third technique is writing through transition and grief, using recent experiences of children moving out of the house as a prompt for poems that begin sentimental and then shift into lightness.
• Across all three examples, Jacky highlights poetry as a tool for holding two truths at once, such as grief and pride, fear and faith, or loss and hope.

Connect with Jacky

Follow me on Instagram: @the_therapeutic_poet
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Timestamps

00:00 - Why poems can change mood and meaning
 01:02 - How a poem can create shared feeling in a group
 01:23 - Reading Small Kindnesses and the power of tiny acts
 02:53 - Poetry as a tool for making meaning from experience
 03:13 - Technique one: writing your story as a fairy tale
 04:18 - Getting unstuck when you do not know what to write
 05:03 - Once Upon a Time and the collapse of old narratives
 06:57 - Why the poem is really about hope and rebuilding
 08:15 - Letting go of self-censorship and literal thinking
 09:23 - Holding faith and fear at the same time
 10:22 - Technique two: escaping the “despair magnet”
 11:36 - A silly to-do list poem to interrupt overwhelm
 12:51 - Using absurdity to get perspective on real stress
 13:54 - Why autonomy matters in changing your mood
 14:23 - Technique three: writing through children leaving home
 15:09 - Sentimental writing and the ache of transition
 16:56 - Moving from grief into humor and release
 17:34 - Using poems to make space for both loss and hope
 18:13 - Closing thoughts and listener invitation

Useful links:
A thought I kept podcast with Claire Fitzsimmons and guest Deborah Alma

Jacky Power explores how poetry and positive psychology can help us find awe, gratitude, and positivity in everyday life, especially during challenging times.

Key Topics

The broaden and build theory by Barbara Fredrickson
Using poetry to foster positive emotions like gratitude and awe
The role of mindfulness and presence in well-being
How to find awe in everyday objects and moments
The importance of acceptance and self-love in mental health

Takeaways

Poetry can be a powerful tool to shift perspective and foster positive emotions.
Practicing awe and gratitude can help balance negative feelings and improve mental health.
Mindfulness exercises and poetry prompts can enhance present-moment awareness.
Creating a sense of awe in daily life can be as simple as observing a spider web or a plant.
Balancing negative emotions with positive ones is essential for well-being.

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Chapters

00:00 Introduction to the episode and main themes
02:17 The impact of uncertainty and negativity on mental health
03:16 The concept of hope versus hopium in challenging times
04:09 Living in the present moment and practicing gratitude
05:06 Using positive psychology to navigate grief and self-acceptance
06:04 The broaden and build theory and its components of positive emotions
07:27 The role of poetry in fostering self-love and acceptance
10:09 The emotion of awe and its significance in shifting perspective
12:12 How to cultivate awe in everyday life
13:44 Exercises to bring awe into your daily routine
15:19 Writing mindfulness and curiosity poems
17:59 Using objects and prompts to inspire awe and reflection
19:16 Balancing negative and positive emotions for well-being
20:14 Encouragement to use poetry as a technology for being human

Helen von Dadelszen on courageous action, nervous system regulation, and speaking with confidence.

I (Jacky Power) speak with Helen von Dadelszen, voice and communication coach and author of Courageous Action, about what it really takes to communicate well when you are nervous, under pressure, or worried about getting it wrong. We explore how confidence is built through action, not perfection, and why vulnerability, preparation, and self-trust matter more than sounding polished.

We discuss the mindset and body-based tools that help people speak up more effectively in interviews, meetings, presentations, and performances. Helen shares practical ways to quiet the inner soundtrack, regulate the nervous system, and expand your comfort zone through repeated courageous action.

Key topics

• Helen introduces Courageous Action as a practical guide to building confidence through action, not waiting until you feel ready.
• We reflect on a real-time example of how nerves and self-consciousness can affect communication.
• Helen explains that hesitations, stumbles, and rephrasing are part of being human and can create connection rather than weaken credibility.
• Helen describes the internal “soundtrack” of limiting beliefs, including thoughts like “I’m not confident enough,” “my accent is funny,” or “I’m not senior enough.”
• Helen recommends asking two key questions before speaking.
• The conversation covers embodied regulation tools including breath, grounding, power poses, tapping, and low-stakes practice.
• Helen emphasizes that effective communication is hard in fight, flight, or freeze, so the goal is to down-regulate the nervous system rather than eliminate nerves.
• Jacky shares performance experiences, including reading from a script on stage and learning from feedback to slow down and trust the poetry more.
• They discuss how audience silence, awkward moments, small turnouts, or logistical mishaps can be turned into connection rather than failure.
• Helen share that good speakers often involve the audience more, ask questions, and create participation rather than lecture at people.
• The episode ends with Helen explaining her workshop Your Voice, Your Calling Card and her four P’s of vocal variety.

Follow me on Instagram: @the_therapeutic_poet
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Timestamps

00:00 - Opening stumble and why nervousness shows up when the stakes feel high
 03:06 - Why perfection is not the goal in communication
 07:00 - The importance of intention and how you want to be perceived
 09:30 - The inner soundtrack of self-doubt and fear of judgment
 11:52 - Finding 2 or 3 words that anchor your communication
 14:22 - Using the body and nervous system to stay grounded
 16:20 - Why courageous action means acting while still feeling fear
 17:39 - Trusting yourself even when your body is activated
 19:14 - How nervousness is individual and shows up differently for everyone
 21:01 - Finding the techniques that work for you, then turning them into a ritual
 22:03 - Why practice matters before the stressful moment arrives
 23:31 - Speaking well means pacing yourself, pausing, and practicing out loud
 24:36 - Meeting yourself where you are, including using notes on stage or in meetings
 25:40 - Why “good is better than perfect” and waiting can become a trap
 26:49 - Learning from feedback when rushing through material too quickly
 27:45 - Slowing down so the audience can process and connect
 28:45 - Using notes in meetings and breaking the ice with the audience
 30:09 - Handling silence, blank faces, and online disengagement
 31:50 - Challenging negative assumptions about audience reactions
 33:31 - Why the best communication often involves audience participation
 34:42 - Turning awkward real-world moments into shared connection
 37:45 - Preparing for logistical problems before they derail you
 40:11 - Courageous action as a way to expand the comfort zone
 42:08 - Helen’s workshop, Your Voice, Your Calling Card
44:06 - Where to find Helen and her book

Action items

• Identify 2 or 3 words that describe how you want to be experienced when you speak.
• Practice your message out loud before the real event.
• Use breathing or grounding techniques before high-stakes communication.
• Bring notes if they help you stay on track.
• If the room feels cold, create connection by speaking to a few people first.
• Review feedback for what is useful, then keep what fits and discard what does not.
• Treat awkward moments as opportunities to connect, not proof of failure.

To find out more about Helen go to: https://academy.presentpotential.ch/ and find her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/helenvond/ Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helen-von-dadelszen/ and Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@presentpotential2090/videos

How can we write when words fail us?

When we face extreme stress or trauma the part of the brain that helps us to put words around the experience goes offline as our brain goes into survival mode.

Often we are told 'It's good to talk' when we're experiencing difficulty but that is not always possible.

So is there another way?

In this episode Jacky Power shares how poetry can be used as a form of somatic witnessing; a way of tuning into the sensations in our bodies and giving them shape through sound, rhythm, fragments and even made-up words.

You don’t have to explain what happened, make sense of it, or turn it into a neat story. Instead, you can listen to what your experience feels like in your body and allow the sensations give shape to their own sounds.

It’s an invitation to write without self-censorship, without interpretation, and without the pressure to make something “good”.

There is a lot of talk in wellbeing spaces about healing or recovery, but this is allowing for something different. It is allowing for what is and trusting that through the process of being 'with' our emotion - energy in motion - will shift.

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In this episode, Dufflyn Lammers shares her journey toward embracing vulnerability, love, and authenticity through her personal stories, writing, and spiritual reflection. We discuss stories from her book You Had Me At Bonjour as she shares how she has navigated complex relationships, self-acceptance, and attachment healing, all with a beguiling humour and lightness.

What we cover

• The power of self-love and loving others unconditionally, even amidst scars and imperfections 
• How cultural differences influence body image and perceptions of love
• The importance of loving yourself as you are, without expectations or boundaries 
• The journey from insecure attachment to secure attachment
• The role of creative practices like writing, improvisation, and meditation in healing past trauma
• Navigating vulnerability with honesty, and the bravery required to share one's truth
• The significance of trust, boundaries, and clear communication in healthy relationships
• The influence of early childhood experiences and family blueprint on adult relationship

Follow me on Instagram: @the_therapeutic_poet
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Join my Awakening To Presence course on Insight Timer
Get my self-paced course: Permission To Feel Loneliness(Use the code TOGETHER for 10% off)

00:00 – Introduction & welcome
02:13 – Opening poem: "I Loved Him Once"
04:45 – Loving someone as they are, not as you "should"
06:42 – Writing as a safe space for radical honesty
09:11 – Meeting Benjamin, early recovery, showing up for each other
11:05 – The conversation about not wanting children
13:33 – Clear boundaries, kindly held
14:17 – Dufflyn: the American Love Coach in Paris
15:04 – Attachment blueprint: mother's inconsistency, father's anger
17:31 – The Ideal Parent Figure Protocol explained
20:04 – Embodiment, narrative coherence, and grief
23:17 – Addiction relapse and relational wounding
24:27 – Acting career, approval-seeking, and improv as repair
26:58 – Current workshops & the "You Had Me at Bonjour" experience
28:07 – Jealousy, body image, and a difficult moment with Benjamin
30:07 – Reading: the blessing ritual passage
33:40 – Cultural differences and the "spell" that led to Benjamin
37:46 – The bravery of writing this book
39:56 – Depth and humor: "the French Revolution" line
42:08 – Awe, enchantment, and the poetic life
45:33 – Building an immersive storytelling experience
46:27 – Getting permission: family reactions to the book
50:01 – Where to find the book & closing thanks

This conversation underscores the importance of honesty, vulnerability, humour, and spiritual curiosity on the path to becoming more loving and authentic. Tune in to explore how embracing your scars, stories, and awe can transform your relationships and life.

You Had Me at Bonjour by Dufflyn Lammers can be bought at all online book stores as ebook or audio book. Check out more of Dufflyn's work at https://www.dufflyn.com

 In this episode, Jacky Power talks with Mohammed Moussa, a Palestinian poet, journalist, and founder of the Gaza Poets Society, about the role of poetry in bearing witness to displacement and grief, writing across English and Arabic, the link between place and memory, and the art of noticing. Moe reads from his forthcoming poetry collection, Where to Lay This Heart, and Jacky shares two of her own poems in response.

About Moe Moussa

Moe Moussa is a Palestinian poet and freelance journalist from the Gaza Strip, and the founder of the Gaza Poets Society (2018) and Gaza's Creative Allies. His poetry collections include Flamingo (2020), Salted Wounds (2023), My Death Is Not a Song for You to Sing (2025), and the forthcoming Where to Lay This Heart (2026).

• Substack (Moe Moussa): https://moemousa.substack.com/
• Instagram (Moe Moussa, @gaza.guy): https://www.instagram.com/gaza.guy/
• X / Twitter (@MoeMoussa25): https://x.com/MoeMoussa25

Gaza Poets Society

Founded by Moe Moussa in 2018, the first spoken-word poetry community in the Gaza Strip, publishing and connecting Gazan poets with the international literary community.

• Website: https://www.gazapoets.org/
• Substack: https://gazapoetssociety.substack.com/

Gaza's Creative Allies

An international collective led by the Gaza Poets Society, uniting artists, writers, and creatives in solidarity with the Palestinian people.

• Substack: https://creativeallies.substack.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gazascreativeallies/

The Book

Where to Lay This Heart, Moe Moussa's fourth poetry collection, is due for release on 1 August as an e-book, published by the Gaza Poets Society. Readers interested in helping fund a print edition can get in touch via the Gaza Poets Society Substack.

Poems Featured in This Episode

• "Tell It to the Sky" - Moe Moussa
• "Where to Lay This Heart" - Moe Moussa
• "Under the Same Sky" - Moe Moussa
• "Bulbs Not Bombs" - Jacky Power
• "Come Lie With Me" - Jacky Power
• "Beauty Within" - Jacky Power

Follow me on Instagram: @the_therapeutic_poet
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Most couples struggle with invisible labour, resentment, and unspoken expectations - until they discover a simple, powerful system that transforms their relationship.

 In this eye-opening episode, Dr. Sharmila Logothas reveals how the Fair Play method,  created by Eve Rodsky, offers a clear, card-based roadmap for redistributing household and caregiving tasks, dismantling gender norms, and fostering true equality at home. But it’s more than just chores; it’s a tool to tackle toxic masculinity, create intimacy through honest conversations, and reclaim your time and emotional well-being.
 
You’ll discover:

• How the "blueberry moment" can spark profound relationship shifts and personal empowerment
• The importance of recognising and valuing all time equally, especially in a world obsessed with work and achievement
• Why naming tasks and setting boundaries can alleviate resentment and prevent emotional burnout
• How relational therapy and techniques like Fair Play safeguard your connection amidst modern chaos
• Practical strategies to navigate resistance and resistance, whether you're a hesitant partner or the one holding more of the mental load
   If you're finding yourself overwhelmed by the unseen chores of daily life, yearning for deeper connection, or simply seeking a framework to bring clarity and fairness into your relationship, this episode is your essential guide. Perfect for couples ready to do the work, mental load warriors, and anyone craving healthier, more connected relationships in a world that often feels messy and uncertain.
   Tune in and learn how to turn organisation into intimacy, and create a life where everyone’s needs are acknowledged, respected, and fulfilled.

Follow me on Instagram: @the_therapeutic_poet
Get my book
Check out my website
Join my Awakening To Presence course on Insight Timer
Get my self-paced course: Permission To Feel Loneliness(Use the code TOGETHER for 10% off)

 Guest Dr. Sharmila Logothas is a licensed psychologist and founder of Intentional Psychology, specialising in relationship dynamics, mental health, and the transformative power of practical tools like Fair Play.

https://intentional-psychology.com/about-me
https://intentional-psychology.com/other-services
https://www.instagram.com/drsharmilalogathas/

Content note: this episode discusses childhood sexual abuse, addiction, self-harm, psychiatric systems, and suicide attempts.
Please take care of yourself as you listen.

What happens when the unspeakable has no language? When every time you try to speak, someone turns away?

Sophie Olsen is a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, a trainer, and the author of The Flying Child — a book that took a decade of being labelled, medicated and told there was no recovery before it could be written. She was eventually told by a psychiatrist that she would never live without community support and medication. She disagreed.

This conversation goes into the territory that most podcasts avoid — not to shock, but because the silence around it is part of the harm. Sophie talks about what it took to finally find words for the unspeakable, the door that was shut on her again and again by the systems meant to help, and the moment a fairy story written on a phone at midnight changed everything.

In this episode:

• How behaviours get labelled as disorders when nobody asks why
• Ten years in a mental health system that saw the symptoms and never the cause
• The door handle moment - advice to her 29-year-old self on what she needed to hear
• How images, drawings, and eventually fairy tale writing became the bridge to speech
• 'Society shame not mine' - why the silence around child sexual abuse is a collective shame, not just a personal one
• The writing workshops that are now paying it forward for other survivor

 |
 | "Was she unstable? Or were you unable to be the anchor? Her rock? One eye on your clock? Was she too complex? Or was it quite simple — if only you cared where to look." — Told You, Sophie Olson

Links:
The Flying Child Website: https://www.theflyingchild.com/
Link to Book: https://www.theflyingchild.com/book

Resources to support those of you affected by this episode due to personal experience:
https://enoughabuse.org/get-help/survivor-support/

Follow me on Instagram: @the_therapeutic_poet
Get my book
Check out my website
Join my Awakening To Presence course on Insight Timer
Get my self-paced course: Permission To Feel Loneliness(Use the code TOGETHER for 10% off)

Every parent asks some version of the same question. Am I damaging my child? Have I already damaged them?

This episode is Jacky's answer. It's not an answer that reassuringly bypasses the truth, but an answer that holds the truth.  Because the question isn't how do I never hurt my child. The question is: when I do hurt them  - because I will - how do I repair?

Ruptures happen in every relationship. They're part of being human. They're even part of healthy relationships - they show that each person has their own separate sense of self. What creates lasting damage isn't the rupture. It's the rupture that goes unrepaired.

In this episode:

• What it means to parent from your wounded child - and why even the best intentions can mean you're parenting the child you were, not the child in front of you
• The despair magnet - how shame turns one mistake into a tally of evidence that you're fundamentally flawed
• The difference between guilt (I did something bad) and shame (I am bad) 
• What a genuine amend looks like - and why an apology with 'but' on the end isn't one
• Dan Siegel's four S's: Safe, Seen, Soothed, Secure - and how repair rebuilds all four
• The intergenerational gift: when you repair with your child, you repair with yourself

 
 | "Beneath the stars of destiny, beneath the numbing and defences, beneath the self-doubting censorship, beneath it all... catch a glimpse of precious alchemy. Beneath it all, beneath — is me."

Follow me on Instagram: @the_therapeutic_poet
Get my book
Check out my website
Join my Awakening To Presence course on Insight Timer
Get my self-paced course: Permission To Feel Loneliness(Use the code TOGETHER for 10% off)

Wait! Before you read another article about screen time, before you spiral about whether you're doing enough, before you outsource your child to a therapist and hope they come back fixed Jacky and Nicole Runyon want you to hear something first.

You are more powerfully positioned to help your child than any professional will ever be. That's what Nicole - a therapist who has 23 years of clinical experience with children and families - wants you to know.

Nicole is a psychotherapist and author of Free to Fly - a book that traces what happened to children's mental health when we started pathologising feelings, outsourcing connection, and handing over authority to devices. What she found wasn't a disorder. It was a disconnection.

In this episode:

• Why 90% of children start school highly intelligent,  what happens to that number, and why
• The lie we've been sold about technology and child development - and what crawling has to do with it
• Feelings reverence vs feelings reference 
• Why Nicole shifted her entire practice from treating children to coaching parents
• The guilt that gets in the way of trusting your instincts -  and how to move through it, not around it

 
 | "I'm sitting here and wondering how those amends would have helped to change our now. But I know those amends would bring different struggles to bear... So I sit here beside you for when you need me by your side." — Parental Reflections

Connect with Jacky:
Follow me on Instagram: @the_therapeutic_poet
Get my book
Check out my website
Join my Awakening To Presence course on Insight Timer
Get my self-paced course: Permission To Feel Loneliness(Use the code TOGETHER for 10% off)

Links for Nicole:
Website: https://nicolerunyon.com/
Book: https://bookshop.org/p/books/free-to-fly-the-secret-to-fostering-independence-in-the-next-generation-nicole-runyon/31948c37916814dd?ean=9781637633779&next=t&next=t
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/igenerationmentalhealth