It was my honour to have the amazing, smart and funny James Abbott on the show. James is an expert in helping young people transform their relationship with anxiety (my words, not his, he is far too modest). 

He is co-founder of the brilliant Our Mental Health Rocks organisation, a wellbeing coach, facilitator and trainer, author, podcaster and doting dog dad to two scrummy sausage dogs. 

This episode is a long one but our chat is so illuminating and builds in awesomeness as it progresses, so get it bookmarked for a time when you have a chance to listen to the whole thing. 

Please join James and me to explore:  

• How experiencing anxiety can make us feel like our real selves have been replaced by this condition that now needs to be managed (but 'we' never go anywhere - yay)
• How it's normal to try and fix anxiety - but we don't need to do that (yay again)
• The trick of anxiety and what it actually means 
• The last time James experienced 'anxiety' and what he 'did' about it 
• How turning away from techniques and turning toward yourself transforms anxiety (and what we mean by this)
• How we are perfectly designed to feel anxiety, and how it passes on its own 
• and much more in the enormous episode!

 Cool shit from James: 

Our Mental Health Rocks - home

Our Mental Health Rocks - the podcast 

It's Not What You Think - his book 

James' Instagram 

The dogs Gus and Bosley on Instagram 

 And: 

• What would two sausage dogs tell us humans about how to deal with our feels?
• Why was James doing lavender-flavoured burps at a training session?
• Mentioned: Michael Neill's book "The Inside Our Revolution" and the lovely anxiety coach Nicola Bird
• Want to be a guest on the show or want to nominate one? Email me at [email protected] 
• Are you coming to the next hangout? Hope so! Plop yourself onto my friends list at siobhanfriel.com/subscribe and I'll be sending details soon. 

Question, comment, idea, anything else? Contact me here.

(Gosh those show notes were long as hell. Still with me? You can go now, my friend)