Home
Categories
EXPLORE
True Crime
Comedy
Society & Culture
Business
News
Sports
TV & Film
About Us
Contact Us
Copyright
Š 2024 PodJoint
Podjoint Logo
US
00:00 / 00:00
Sign in

or

Don't have an account?
Sign up
Forgot password
https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Podcasts221/v4/c3/01/a6/c301a6a9-b5ae-eea9-787b-dbf33bc397b6/mza_8338339739013427622.jpg/600x600bb.jpg
Holding On and Moving Forward
What About Now?
39 episodes
17 hours ago
🧠 What About Now? – Holding on and moving forward All things Mental health and recovery. A podcast about what happens after the crisis — real stories of rebuilding, recovery, and holding on when life feels impossible. 🎙️ Hosted by Elle Ward 💚 Stories that matter. Hope that’s real. 👉 Follow for updates #WhatAboutNow #MentalHealthPodcast #LivedExperience #RecoveryStories
Show more...
Mental Health
Health & Fitness
RSS
All content for Holding On and Moving Forward is the property of What About Now? and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.
🧠 What About Now? – Holding on and moving forward All things Mental health and recovery. A podcast about what happens after the crisis — real stories of rebuilding, recovery, and holding on when life feels impossible. 🎙️ Hosted by Elle Ward 💚 Stories that matter. Hope that’s real. 👉 Follow for updates #WhatAboutNow #MentalHealthPodcast #LivedExperience #RecoveryStories
Show more...
Mental Health
Health & Fitness
Episodes (20/39)
Holding On and Moving Forward
I Let It Happen

In this episode, I open up about the moments I’ve tried hardest to forget — the silence, the betrayal, and the heavy truth that I let it happen.


It’s a raw reflection on what it means to be blamed, erased, and left behind, while still finding the courage to take back your story.


This isn’t about blame. It’s about honesty — the kind that hurts before it heals.


If you’ve ever looked back at something that broke you and whispered, “How did I let that happen?”, this episode is for you.

Show more...
17 hours ago
26 minutes 4 seconds

Holding On and Moving Forward
The Moments We Miss When Life Gets Too Loud

Life can get noisy. Between work, responsibilities, and the constant pull of the world around us, it’s easy to miss the small, quiet moments that truly matter. In this episode, I reflect on the subtle joys, fleeting connections, and overlooked experiences that often slip by when life feels overwhelming. Through personal stories, reflection, and gentle prompts for awareness, we explore how slowing down and noticing the little things can reconnect us to ourselves, others, and the world in ways we often forget.


If you’ve ever felt like life is moving too fast to catch the beauty in the everyday, this episode is for you.

Show more...
2 weeks ago
15 minutes 45 seconds

Holding On and Moving Forward
Don't Go to War Alone

In this episode, I open up about something I’ve always struggled with — appearing “okay” on the outside, even when everything inside me is falling apart. It’s easy to convince the world that you’re fine, but behind that mask is a quiet kind of exhaustion that slowly breaks you down.

This past week has reminded me how dangerous it can be to keep everything bottled up — to tell people you’re just “unwell” when really, you’re unravelling. I talk about how pretending to be strong can isolate us from the very people who could help us heal, and how the belief that asking for help is weakness couldn’t be further from the truth.

If you’ve ever felt like you have to face your battles alone, or like reaching out might be a burden, I hope this episode reminds you that you don’t have to do it all on your own. Because strength isn’t about surviving in silence — it’s about allowing others to stand beside you when the war gets too heavy.

💙 Listen now — you never have to go to war alone.

Show more...
3 weeks ago
15 minutes 38 seconds

Holding On and Moving Forward
Grieving What Could Have Been

This episode explores one of the most misunderstood parts of healing: why we grieve the very lives, loves, and routines that nearly destroyed us. Leaving a toxic relationship or life doesn’t just bring freedom — it brings emptiness, loneliness, and a strange ache for what once felt familiar.


I talk about the quiet grief of walking away, the hollow space healing creates, and the temptation to mistake missing for needing. This isn’t a conversation about weakness — it’s about being human, about learning to hold the ache without running back, and about making peace with the truth that we sometimes miss what hurt us most.


If you’ve ever left behind a toxic life and wondered why the grief still lingers, this episode is for you.

Show more...
1 month ago
31 minutes 27 seconds

Holding On and Moving Forward
The Cost of ‘Just Getting On With It’

We’re told to “just get on with it.” To push through. To smile, cope, and endure without complaint. But what does that actually cost us? In this episode, I explore the heavy toll of always powering through — the exhaustion, the isolation, the anger, and the invisible weight we carry when we bury our pain.


It’s raw. It’s honest. And it’s a reminder that real strength isn’t silence — it’s allowing ourselves to feel, to speak, and to be human.


Tune in as we uncover the true price of getting on with it and why breaking the cycle is the first step toward real healing.

Show more...
1 month ago
18 minutes 9 seconds

Holding On and Moving Forward
The Art of Holding Back

Sometimes, survival means keeping parts of yourself hidden. In this deeply personal episode, I explore the “art of holding back” — a skill I learned as a teenager and carried into adulthood. From carefully edited truths to protecting others at the expense of my own wellbeing, I share what it’s like to live behind a filter, the cost of internalising pain, and the moments that remind me just how heavy silence can be.


This episode dives into real-life experiences, from school and work to life-threatening situations, and reflects on how holding back shapes our relationships, our sense of safety, and our ability to heal. It’s raw, honest, and ultimately about the slow, difficult process of reclaiming your voice.


Trigger warning: This episode discusses trauma and emotional suppression.

Show more...
1 month ago
14 minutes 3 seconds

Holding On and Moving Forward
ADHD In Women, Not a Trend, a Truth

There’s a growing misconception that ADHD in women has become a trend — a fashionable label, the “in thing” right now. But the truth is very different. For decades, girls and women were overlooked, their symptoms masked, their struggles misunderstood. What looks like a sudden surge in diagnoses isn’t about fashion — it’s about recognition.


In this episode, I share my own story of masking, self-blame, and finally finding answers. We’ll explore why women are so often diagnosed later in life, how research and awareness have caught up, and why dismissing these experiences as a trend is not only wrong, but deeply harmful.


If you’ve ever wondered why you felt “different” but couldn’t explain it, or if you’ve carried the weight of being called lazy, disorganised, or not enough — this conversation is for you. ADHD in women isn’t a trend. It’s a truth finally being seen.

Show more...
1 month ago
13 minutes 37 seconds

Holding On and Moving Forward
Recovery Doesn’t Always Look Like Recovery

Recovery isn’t always neat or Instagram-ready. In this episode, I share the messy, unseen side of healing — the setbacks, the quiet victories, and the progress that still counts even when it doesn’t look like recovery.

Show more...
2 months ago
15 minutes 14 seconds

Holding On and Moving Forward
Nature Vs.Nurture - Why I Carried It Alone

“Nature vs. nurture” makes it sound like there’s a winner. In my life, both shaped me—and so did a quiet rule I learned young: don’t share, just get on with it. In this episode, I tell the story of how that rule became my armour and my isolation. I carried it into every room—family, friendships, work—until speaking up felt dangerous and staying silent felt like strength. I share the seasons where I thought I’d been chosen, the moment that illusion cracked, and the narrowing that followed: the cold logic that convinced me nobody would care if I disappeared. This isn’t a blame story. It’s a context story—about longing to be wanted without being seen as a problem, and about what it costs to carry everything alone. If any part of this sounds like you, I hope you feel less alone here.


Content note: Mentions suicidal thoughts and an attempt (no graphic detail). UK support in notes.


Resources (UK): Samaritans 116 123 (24/7) • Text SHOUT to 85258 (24/7) • NHS 111 for urgent mental health help • PAPYRUS HOPELINE247 0800 068 4141 (under 35). In an emergency, call 999.


If this episode helped, share it or leave a review to support What About Now?

Show more...
2 months ago
15 minutes 50 seconds

Holding On and Moving Forward
When “Enough” is Never Enough

A reflective, no-checklist conversation about conditional approval and the ache of trying to please people who won’t be pleased. We talk about the whiplash of “I’m proud of you… but,” why hope keeps sending us back, and the relief of stopping the audition for love. Gentle, honest, and human—this one’s about remembering you were never hard to love.

Show more...
2 months ago
17 minutes 37 seconds

Holding On and Moving Forward
They’re Still Only Children

This episode sits with the uncomfortable truth: sometimes our struggles spill over and children end up standing in the puddles. We talk about the moments they shouldn’t have had to know, the times we took our eye off the ball, and why “wise beyond their years” isn’t always a compliment. No to-do list—just an honest, compassionate look at impact over intent, presence over perfection, and the promise to let kids be kids.

Show more...
2 months ago
16 minutes 21 seconds

Holding On and Moving Forward
Recognising Emotional Burnout

In this second episode of the Protecting Your Peace mini-series, we explore a kind of exhaustion that often goes unnoticed — the weight of emotional labour.


I share honestly about the invisible work of carrying other people’s feelings, always being “the strong one,” and the way this hidden load slowly builds into burnout.


Together, we’ll look at:

✨ What emotional labour really looks like — and why it’s so hard to spot

✨ How burnout creeps in quietly before you even realise it’s happening

✨ Gentle, practical steps to recognise your limits and protect your energy

✨ Why you are not failing — you may simply be emotionally exhausted


This is an episode for anyone who feels drained without knowing why, who dreads small requests, or who silently holds everything together while slowly coming undone.


Because protecting your peace isn’t just about boundaries — it’s about learning to put down what was never yours to carry.

Show more...
2 months ago
15 minutes 3 seconds

Holding On and Moving Forward
Protecting Your Peace: Learning to Say No Without Guilt

In this opening episode of the Protecting Your Peace mini-series, I explore one of the hardest but most necessary parts of healing — learning how to say no without drowning in guilt.


We start with an honest check-in about what happens when we fall back into old patterns of people-pleasing and over-giving, and how easy it is to lose ourselves while trying to be “good” for everyone else.


Through gentle reflection and lived experience, I unpack why saying no can feel like rejection, how guilt shows up inside the body, and why we so often prioritise other people’s comfort over our own peace.


I also share practical, compassionate steps for starting to set boundaries — from asking for time before responding, to reminding yourself that “no” doesn’t mean “I don’t care”.


This is a conversation for anyone who feels tired, stretched thin, or quietly resentful — and needs the reminder that protecting your peace is not selfish… it’s essential.

Show more...
2 months ago
15 minutes 13 seconds

Holding On and Moving Forward
Learning to Live Outside of Survival Mode

For so many of us, survival isn’t just something we went through — it’s something our bodies learned.

Years of stress, trauma, instability or crisis can rewire the nervous system to see danger even when none exists.


In this episode, we explore what happens when life finally becomes calm… and it doesn’t feel safe.


Why do peaceful moments feel unfamiliar?

Why do we keep searching for something to go wrong — even when everything is okay?

And how do we begin to unlearn that constant state of high alert?


Through honest reflection and gentle prompts, we talk about:

• Living in fight-or-flight for years

• The discomfort of calm after chaos

• How to recognise when your brain is “searching”

• Practising safety, rest, and acceptance in real time


If you’ve ever struggled to relax because things are going well — this episode is for you.

Show more...
2 months ago
14 minutes 38 seconds

Holding On and Moving Forward
The Weight of Suicide: on Both Sides

The Weight of Suicide: On Both Sides

Suicide is one of the hardest conversations we’ll ever have — but it’s one we can’t keep avoiding.

In this deeply personal episode, we explore the reality of suicide from both perspectives: being the one in that place, and being the one left behind. We talk about why it’s so hard to discuss, the messy truth of the aftermath, the myths that cause harm, and the moments that stay with you forever.

This is an honest, unfiltered conversation about pain, love, anger, and the complexity of healing — because the only way to break the silence is to speak.

Show more...
2 months ago
15 minutes 22 seconds

Holding On and Moving Forward
When Coping Becomes Part of the Problem

We all have ways of getting through the hardest days — the habits, distractions, or escapes that help us survive. But what happens when the very things keeping you afloat start pulling you under?


In this episode, we explore the messy truth about coping mechanisms: how they can protect us in the moment, yet slowly hurt us over time. We talk about why it’s so hard to let go of unhealthy patterns, how to recognise when your “go-to” is causing more harm than good, and what it really takes to build healthier ways of managing life’s pain.


This isn’t about shame — it’s about awareness, compassion, and small, brave steps towards change. Because your coping might have kept you alive, but you deserve tools that help you truly live.


💬 Trigger warning: This episode discusses trauma, mental health struggles, and self-destructive behaviours. Please listen at your own pace.

Show more...
2 months ago
15 minutes 6 seconds

Holding On and Moving Forward
Don’t Make Me Prove It


Not ill enough.

That’s what I was told after trying to end my life.


In this deeply personal episode, I share the story behind my new campaign — Don’t Make Me Prove It — and why one chance to ask for help should be enough. From being turned away in crisis to the dangerous message that “next time, do it properly,” I talk openly about the failures in our mental health system that are costing lives every day.


This isn’t just my story — it’s the story of countless people who have been told they don’t qualify for urgent help until it’s nearly too late. And it’s time for that to change.


I’ll walk you through the uncomfortable truths we need to face, the three urgent demands of this campaign, and how you can be part of the fight for reform.


Because our mental health system isn’t a safety net — it’s a coin toss. And too many of us are losing.


Content warning: This episode contains discussion of suicide and self-harm. Please listen with care.

Show more...
2 months ago
11 minutes 35 seconds

Holding On and Moving Forward
Still Here

In this deeply honest episode, we explore the messy, complicated reality of holding on when life feels heavy. From the quiet exhaustion that comes after crisis to the unexpected confusion of finding safety, this is a conversation about the parts of healing we don’t talk about enough.


We talk about the moments when asking for help feels harder than pretending to be okay, the pull of old coping mechanisms, and the strange comfort that chaos can hold — not because it was good, but because it was familiar.


If you’ve ever felt lost after leaving survival mode… if you’ve struggled to offer yourself the same compassion you’d give someone else… if you’ve wondered who you are without the battles you’ve fought — this episode is for you.


Because even when healing feels slow, even when you can’t be gentle with yourself yet, the fact that you’re still here is enough.

Show more...
2 months ago
18 minutes 43 seconds

Holding On and Moving Forward
This isn’t just my fight

In this deeply personal and powerful episode, I open up about what really happened behind the scenes of my teaching career — the parts most people never saw.


This isn’t just a story about burnout or leaving a job. It’s about giving everything to a role you love… and still being made to feel like you didn’t matter the moment you started to struggle.


I talk honestly about the years I spent fighting to become a teacher, how hard I worked to stay, and the heartbreaking way it all came to an end. But this episode isn’t just about me — it’s about every person who has been made to feel replaceable, every person who’s been punished instead of supported for being unwell, and every voice that’s stayed silent because they were afraid no one would listen.


Because the truth is — this isn’t just my fight. It’s all of ours.


🔊 Tune in if you’ve ever felt overlooked, broken by a system you believed in, or are ready to change how we treat mental health in the workplace.

Show more...
2 months ago
15 minutes 9 seconds

Holding On and Moving Forward
You belong here - even if you don’t feel like it

In the final episode of the belonging mini-series, I speak directly to the ones who feel too broken, too complicated, or too much to ever truly belong.


We talk about:

💬 Why being someone you’re proud of matters more than pleasing others

💔 Making peace with your story and your scars

🌱 Understanding that healing doesn’t make you “belongable” — you always were

🖤 How belonging is often found in the quiet loyalty of the people who stay


This is your reminder that your worth has never depended on being “fixed.” You belong here. You always have.

Show more...
2 months ago
15 minutes 56 seconds

Holding On and Moving Forward
🧠 What About Now? – Holding on and moving forward All things Mental health and recovery. A podcast about what happens after the crisis — real stories of rebuilding, recovery, and holding on when life feels impossible. 🎙️ Hosted by Elle Ward 💚 Stories that matter. Hope that’s real. 👉 Follow for updates #WhatAboutNow #MentalHealthPodcast #LivedExperience #RecoveryStories