The Proper Mental Podcast

Dr Benji Waterhouse

Welcome to episode 194 with Dr Benji Waterhouse who is a front-line NHS doctor specialising in psychiatry and an award-winning stand-up comedian.

He is also the author of the best-selling medical memoir ‘You Don’t Have to Be Mad to Work Here’ where he has written about his work as a psychiatrist and the stories of the patients he has met along the way.

In this episode I chat to Benji about his book and his work and why he decided to work in medicine’s most mysterious and controversial speciality.

We chat about the process of sectioning someone, the origins of psychosis and delusions and some of the myths around mental illness in general.

We also chat about the impact that working in mental health can have on medical staff and the difficult decisions that have to be made when mental illness accounts for 28% of the overall disease burden but only receives 13% of funding.

We also get in to empathy, burnout, psychedelics and how to deal with a patient who thinks he’s a werewolf.

This episode is a lovely mix of humour and insight and it was fascinating to learn more about the other side of psychiatry!

You Don’t Have to Be Mad to Work Here is a wonderful read and I highly recommend it!

You can connect with Benji on social media @doctor_benjis

You can connect with me on social media @propermentalpodcast or via www.propermentalpodcast.com.

Another great way to support the show and spread the word is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from.

If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk

Thanks for listening!

Tom Fleming/One True Pairing

Welcome to episode 193 with Tom Fleming of One True Pairing and formerly of Wild Beasts!

As a member of Wild Beasts, Tom released 5 acclaimed albums, one of them was nominated for the Mercury Prize and two of the records charted in the top 10.

Wild Beasts called it a day in 2018 with Tom putting out his first material as One True Pairing in 2019.  His new record, Endless Rain, is out later this month.

In this episode, Tom and I chat about growing up in small towns and finding community through being creative and making music.

We chat about masculinity, what that term means and how it’s affected by society, geography and the class system.

And we chat about depression and the guilt and shame that come with the bad behaviour that is caused by mental ill health and we chat about Tom’s autism diagnosis that received in his late thirties and how that’s impacted his life.

Follow Tom on Instagram @onetruepairing and connect via www.onetruepairing.co.uk or www.dominomusic.com.

Endless Rain is out on all formats on 25^th October 2024.

You can connect with me on social media @propermentalpodcast or via www.propermentalpodcast.com.

Another great way to support the show and spread the word is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from.

If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk

Thanks for listening!

Nathan Filer

Welcome to episode 192 with Nathan Filer, who is a writer, university lecturer and broadcaster and a former mental health nurse.

In this episode I chat to Nathan about his route in to nursing and how it formed some of things that he has written books about.

I reached out to Nathan after reading his book ‘This Book will Change Your Mind about Mental Health’ and it was great to chat about some of the themes from his work.

We chat about the stigma around mental health and mental illness, if it still exists and who exactly benefits from the constant conversation around removing it.

We chat about both sides of the diagnosis debate, why language is everything and the why comparing physical health to mental is problematic.

There is a lot of complexity to the themes throughout this conversation and it was wonderful to have the time and the space to explore the nuance from all sides.

I really enjoyed this and I think it is this level of depth and compassion that is sorely needed in the mental health space.  I hope it gives you lots to think about!

Follow Nathan on twitter @nathan filer and learn more via his website www.nathanfiler.co.uk

If you would like to watch this episode or any of the others, you can do so by joining the Patreon community at www.patreon.com/propermentalpodcast.  For £3 a month you’ll get early access to any and all episodes that aren’t available to watch anywhere else and you can submit questions for upcoming guests!  You’ll also be helping to support the show and keep it fully independent and ad free.

You can connect with me on social media @propermentalpodcast or via www.propermentalpodcast.com.

Another great way to support the show and spread the word is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from.

If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk

Thanks for listening!

Dave Lock/The Running Telephone

Welcome to episode 191 with Dave Lock, who is more commonly known as the running telephone.

For the last 25 consecutive years, Dave has ran the London Marathon to raise funds and awareness for the Samaritans charity and along the way he has become an iconic part of both the marathon and the mental health space.  This year he ran as team captain for the charity’s fundraisers.

In this episode I chat to Dave about the mental health challenges that he has faced and how they inspired him to start running in fancy dress.

We also chat about his relationship with The Samaritans who he credits with saving his life when he was at his lowest and we chat about how he has also worked for them as a volunteer on the phones.

We chat about running, the pressures of the corporate world, connecting with others and the emotional impact of this year’s marathon, his 25^th in a row, but the first one without the support of his brother who took his own life last year.

Dave is a truly lovely man and it was a joy to chat to him about his special relationship with The Samaritans charity and some of the changes he has seen in the mental health space over the years.

You can call The Samaritans any time, day or night, on 116 123.

Learn more at www.samaritans.org

If you would like to watch this episode or any of the others, you can do so by joining the Patreon community at www.patreon.com/propermentalpodcast.  For £3 a month you’ll get early access to any and all episodes that aren’t available to watch anywhere else and you can submit questions for upcoming guests!  You’ll also be helping to support the show and keep it fully independent and ad free.

You can connect with me on social media @propermentalpodcast or via www.propermentalpodcast.com.

Another great way to support the show and spread the word is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from.

If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk

Thanks for listening!

Philippa Dawson

Welcome to episode 190 with Philippa Dawson, who is a writer, producer and performer who is also the creator of Character Flaw, a show about her experiences with ADHD and how it’s impacted her throughout her life.

In this episode I chat to Pip about her show, about living with ADHD and how this has impacted her mental health over the years.

We chat about the before and after of diagnosis, her experiences with medication and how different aspects of her identity are wrapped up in her ADHD.

We also about Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria, emotional dysregulation and hyper focus and we chat about dealing with depression, forgetting to eat and going to the Edinburgh Fringe.

It was wonderful to chat to Pip about all of this stuff.  Her life and experiences and ADHD all interact in both hilarious and challenging ways and I think a lot of people will relate to that.

Follow Pip on social media for updates, show dates and tickets @characterflawtheplay and @probablypip

If you would like to watch this episode or any of the others, you can do so by joining the Patreon community at www.patreon.com/propermentalpodcast.  For £3 a month you’ll get early access to any and all episodes that aren’t available to watch anywhere else and you can submit questions for upcoming guests!  You’ll also be helping to support the show and keep it fully independent and ad free.

You can connect with me on social media @propermentalpodcast or via www.propermentalpodcast.com.

Another great way to support the show and spread the word is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from.

If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk

Thanks for listening!

Alex Staniforth

Welcome to episode 189 with Alex Staniforth, who is an adventurer, speaker and the founder of Mind Over Mountains, a charity that brings together walking in nature, mindfulness & professional coaching and counselling in support of good mental health & wellbeing.

Alex was diagnosed with epilepsy at the age of nine and this would be the catalyst for several years of bullying, anxiety, panic attacks and a lifelong stammer.

He found that time in nature, and more specifically time on hills and mountains, helped his mental health and he was just 14 when he set his sights on climbing Mount Everest.

His first attempt, aged 18, ended when an avalanche in the Khumbu Icefall killed 16 climbing Sherpas.

During his second attempt, base camp was hit by the Nepal earthquake which killed 3 Sherpas in Alex's team.

This led Alex to a long period of survivor’s guilt, depression and Alex also fell in to bulimia, which he was still dealing with when he set out to climb all of the highest peaks in the UK, in 72 days, with only a bicycle for transport.

We talk about all of that in this episode.

We also talk about dealing with failure, why it’s important to take on challenges and what we can learn from both these things and we chat about identity and what it was like for Alex when he was forced to step away from endurance challenges by long Covid and how he had to learn to do things differently.

Follow Alex on social media @alexstaniforth_ and @mindomountains

Learn more at www.alexstaniforth.com and https://mindovermountains.org.uk

If you would like to watch this episode or any of the others, you can do so by joining the Patreon community at www.patreon.com/propermentalpodcast.  For £3 a month you’ll get early access to any and all episodes that aren’t available to watch anywhere else and you can submit questions for upcoming guests!  You’ll also be helping to support the show and keep it fully independent and ad free.

You can connect with me on social media @propermentalpodcast or via www.propermentalpodcast.com.

Another great way to support the show and spread the word is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from.

If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk

Thanks for listening!

Jaxon Feeley

Welcome to episode 188 with Jaxon Feeley, who is a Life and Mindset Coach, motivational speaker and TV personality.

Jax served in the military as an RAF Corporal for 4 years, which included a tour of Iraq, before joining MHP Hindley as a prison officer.

Throughout his life, Jax had been through plenty of mental health struggles but had always managed to pull through and distract himself through his work.  Eventually things got to a point where he had to face these struggles head on and face some things that he had been ignoring since childhood.

Jax came out as transgender and made the decision to transition from female to male whilst still working at the prison.  He served 3 years as a female officer, and 3 years as Jaxon.

Since leaving the prison service, Jax has been on a mission to advocate for the trans community and demonstrate the sort of visibility that he needed to see all those years ago.

In this episode I chat to Jax about his time in the military, some of the mental health struggles he faced through this time and how they ultimately led him to start questioning his gender identity.

We chat about showing up and being vulnerable, asking yourself difficult questions, living authentically, learning how to be your true self and his recent appearance on Channel 4’s Hunted.

Jax has an incredible story and it would have been really easy to make this a whole episode about gender but we had so much more to talk about than that alone!

Follow Jax on social media @jaxryderfeeley

Learn more here: Professional Mindset Coach | Motivational Speaker | Jaxon Feeley

If you would like to watch this episode or any of the others, you can do so by joining the Patreon community at www.patreon.com/propermentalpodcast.  For £3 a month you’ll get early access to any and all episodes that aren’t available to watch anywhere else and you can submit questions for upcoming guests!  You’ll also be helping to support the show and keep it fully independent and ad free.

You can connect with me on social media @propermentalpodcast or via www.propermentalpodcast.com.

Another great way to support the show and spread the word is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from.

If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk

Thanks for listening!

Chris Baker

Welcome to episode 187 with Chris Baker, who is a mentor, coach and public speaker.

Chris got in to crime at a young age and spent a long time bouncing in and out of prison.  He ended up losing an arm in a motorbike crash while being chased by police and this sent him in to a spiral of depression and self-loathing and he was also sentenced to longer stretch inside.

Chris decided that he didn’t want to keep repeating this cycle and set out to make some changes.  He started reading, working on himself and exploring Adverse Childhood Experiences studies and the links between childhood trauma and repeat offenders.

Now Chris works with prisons, schools and business’ delivering talks about his own experiences to promote resilience and inspire hope.

In this episode I chat to Chris about his early years growing up and how he started to get in to trouble.

We chat about going to prison, why so many people can’t get out or stay out and what needs to change in the prison system, particularly with regards to mental health.

And we chat about losing an arm, losing identity, building resilience, lessons from fitness and making big changes.

You can learn more about Chris and his work at chrisbakerspeaker and follow him on social media @chris_baker_

If you would like to watch this episode or any of the others, you can do so by joining the Patreon community at www.patreon.com/propermentalpodcast.  For £3 a month you’ll get early access to any and all episodes that aren’t available to watch anywhere else and you can submit questions for upcoming guests!  You’ll also be helping to support the show and keep it fully independent and ad free.

You can connect with me on social media @propermentalpodcast or via www.propermentalpodcast.com.

Another great way to support the show and spread the word is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from.

If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk

Thanks for listening!

The Poetry Project

Welcome to episode 186 with James McInerney, who is the creator of The Poetry Project.

James started off experimenting with words by writing out his thoughts and feelings to instrumental film scores and he found that expressing himself through poetry helped him navigate his way through depression.

After publishing several books, he launched The Poetry Project with the aim of spreading mental health awareness, throw people in at the deep end and inspire them to think, pause and reflect.

Since his first piece was displayed on a train station platform, the project has grown and James’ words have been displayed by some of the world’s biggest brands and in iconic locations all over the globe.

In this episode I chat to James about his experiences with depression and these experiences led him to poetry.

We chat about the origins of The Poetry Project, how he got it started and how it spread all over the world.

We chat about creativity, self-expression, healthy distraction and why, when it comes to mental health awareness, it can be useful to throw people in at the deep end.

I stumbled across one of James’ poems in a Portland shopping mall last summer and it really was striking to see the word ‘depression’ in big letters on the wall in the middle of a huge shopping centre.  I love anything that takes mental health outside of the usual clinical spaces and it was awesome to chat to James about his work and the impact that he’s having.

You can follow James on social media @poetryproject08 and @millsmc07

Learn more on PROJECTS | James McInerney Poetry

If you would like to watch this episode or any of the others, you can do so by joining the Patreon community at www.patreon.com/propermentalpodcast.  For £3 a month you’ll get early access to any and all episodes that aren’t available to watch anywhere else and you can submit questions for upcoming guests!  You’ll also be helping to support the show and keep it fully independent and ad free.

You can connect with me on social media @propermentalpodcast or via www.propermentalpodcast.com.

Another great way to support the show and spread the word is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from.

If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk

Thanks for listening!

Dr Gladys McGarey

Welcome to episode 185 with Dr. Gladys McGarey, who is a 103-year-old still-consulting doctor who is internationally recognised as the ‘Mother of Holistic Medicine’.

Dr Gladys was born in 1920 and grew up in India.  She joined Women’s Medical College during the second world war and when she began practising, women couldn’t even have their own bank accounts.

Gladys co-founded the American Holistic Medical Association and she was the first physician to utilise acupuncture in the U.S.

In this episode I chat to Dr Gladys about her childhood in India, her early interest in healing and what it was like to be a female doctor when being a female doctor wasn’t a thing.

We chat about training during WW2, how that influenced the language used in medicine and how she moved towards a different approach and started to think holistically.

We chat about finding purpose, learning to listen, claiming your voice and why grief is something that we do rather than something that happens to us.  And we chat about the 5 L’s that underpin Dr Gladys’ approach to a long and fulfilling life.

Dr Gladys is also a bestselling author and her latest book ‘The Well-lived Life’ is out now.

You can follow Dr Gladys on social media @begladmd and learn more about her life and work on her website www.gladysmcgarey.com.

If you would like to watch this episode or any of the others, you can do so by joining the Patreon community at www.patreon.com/propermentalpodcast.  For £3 a month you’ll get early access to any and all episodes that aren’t available to watch anywhere else and you can submit questions for upcoming guests!  You’ll also be helping to support the show and keep it fully independent and ad free.

You can connect with me on social media @propermentalpodcast or via www.propermentalpodcast.com.

Another great way to support the show and spread the word is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from.

If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk

Thanks for listening!