Josh Connolly had a chaotic childhood. By the time he hit his twenties, he was contemplating suicide. Now, he is one of the country’s most influential voices on mental health, using his own experiences to help others. I chatted with him about why men struggle to share emotions, growing up around alcohol and how he wants to de-stigmatise conversations about suicide.

For more on Josh’s work, click here

Donate to CALM's Stay Tuned fundraiser here

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

Elliot Sweeney has been a psychiatric nurse for over two decades. Now he has written a book about his experiences: ‘We Don't Use Words Like Crazy - A Life On The Frontline Of Mental Health.’ His moving, and often funny, memoir pulls back the curtain on what the job’s really like, showing why we need more compassion for people who are struggling and the professionals who try to help them every day.

To donate to my fundraiser for CALM’s Stay Tuned Campaign, please click this link.

Suicide is the biggest killer of men under 50 in the UK. Sparing a few quid for CALM helps them fund their essential service to help bring that rate down.

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

Ziyad Marar draws on psychology, philosophy, literature and even the films of Quentin Tarantino to demonstrate the strange business of noticing things. His new book (Noticing - How We Attend To the World And Each Other) contends that our enjoyment of life is shaped by what we choose to notice in the world around us.

**********

Please donate here to my fundraiser for CALM. CALM is an outspoken, innovative suicide prevention charity offering life-saving services and smashing the stigma around mental health. With STAY Tuned 2025, I’m using my podcasts to raise money for CALM. Together we can help people end their misery, not their lives. If you can, sling a few quid their way. Cheers.

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

The Reset is back after a hiatus! Thank you for your patience; it’s been a busy year.

Throughout September, I will be backing the Stay Tuned 2025 campaign by the brilliant mental health charity, CALM.

Stay Tuned is all about raising awareness about mental health and raising money to pay for CALM’s life-saving support services.

You can donate to my fundraiser page here. Every penny counts (but for anyone who can spare a larger amount, there are some special incentives and rewards on offer).

To help me kick off the campaign,

I am joined on this week’s pod by Callum Goodall from CALM. He told me more about the amazing work they are doing to save lives - and shared his own moving experience of coping with a suicide attempt in his family.

There will be more episodes coming throughout the month, so stay in touch.

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

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

Sean McNicholas overcame a traumatic childhood to become a successful club entrepreneur. But the high life burnt him out and, eventually, he decided to get sober and help other men with similar problems. Now he is a qualified therapist and ADHD expert who joined me to discuss his extraordinary story - and his mission to help men turn their lives around.

Find out more about Sean’s work here

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

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

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

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

Ruby Wax has been raising awareness of mental health issues and fighting stigma for decades now. She shares her own experiences to help others. I was honoured to speak to her about her excellent charity Frazzled and her latest book ‘I’m Not As Well As I Thought I Was.’

Funny, clever, compassionate and insightful: Ruby was everything I hoped and expected her to be.

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

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

After recovering from alcoholism, Lucy Da Silva gained a masters in psychotherapy and now specialises in the use of ketamine and psychedelics in the treatment of mental health disorders. She joined me to discuss this fascinating new area of therapy and her own powerful story of childhood trauma, addiction and recovery.

Find out more about Lucy’s work here https://silvawellness.com/

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

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

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

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

Daniel Reisinger is an Australian born, award-winning filmmaker. His new movie ‘& Mrs’ is a romantic comedy-drama starring Aisling Bea and Tom Hanks. It’s about a bride-to-be coping with the sudden death of her fiancé just weeks before their planned wedding. For Daniel, the film had a special resonance as he lost his mother shortly before going into production. He talks about processing his grief while trying to make his first movie, what he learned about bereavement and why he thinks we should all get more comfortable talking about death.

If you are dealing with a bereavement, find support at The Good Grief Trust (as mentioned in this episode)

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

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

Tom Kerridge grew up on a council estate in Gloucestershire before working his way up through the restaurant business and opening the Hand And Flowers in Bray - the only double Michelin starred pub in the world.

When he turned 40, he decided to quit alcohol and has never looked back. In this entertaining chat he tells me about the stress of working in a kitchen, sobriety, fatherhood and how he manages to keep his edge as he gets older.

His new book, Tom Kerridge Cooks Britain, is out now

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

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

Allie Bailey thought that running would save her from her demons. She started running to stop drinking but found herself addicted to both things simultaneously. While running - and often winning - ultra-marathons all over the globe, Allie was often drunk and almost always hungover. Soon she realised she couldn’t outrun her bad habits. Following lockdown, a breakdown and an attempt to take her own life, she finally found a way of getting and staying sober . Allie tells me her story with honesty, humour and tons of swearing.

Buy her book - There Is No Wall

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