The Proper Mental Podcast

Becky Goddard-Hill

Welcome to Proper Mental episode 33, my guest this week is Becky Goddard-Hill!

Becky Goddard-Hill is a multi-award-winning writer and children's therapist with a post-grad in Psychotherapy.

She previously worked in social work as a child development trainer and as a children's bereavement therapist before having her own children.

She is the author of the ‘Create Your Own’ book series that deals with children’s happiness, emotional resilience, anxiety, worries, and happiness.

We chat about raising emotionally healthy children, allowing children to feel and vocalise their feelings, the importance of nature, building confidence and empowerment.

I really got a lot out of this one and everything we chat about is applicable to children of all ages and adults as well!

Becky has so much experience in this area and she was able to offer up loads of useful tools and ideas and really gave me an incredible insight in to the ways our childhood can shape our mental health as we journey through life.

Here’s the link for the Happiful Magazine article that I mention in the intro:

How to teach kids self-kindness (happiful.com)

You can connect with Becky on social media @beckygoddardhill and @emotionallyhealthy_kids and you can read all of her blogs via her website A Beautiful Space –.  Her books are available in all retailers.

If you’d like to chat to me about anything at all then I’m on all social platforms @propermentalpodcast and I’m always happy to have a chat!  You can read a bit more about what I’m doing with the podcast on www.propermentalpodcast.com and you can email from there too!

Please leave me a nice review if you have a few minutes spare!

If you need to seek support, you can find services close to you by visiting www.hubofhope.co.uk

Thanks for listening!  Enjoy!

 

BONUS: The Future of Mental Health Support

The Bloom Building is a progressive and unique concept that’s rewriting the rules around how the worlds of culture, community, social action and mental health can flourish together.

There are several organisations all holding space under the same roof, working together and making a difference with a strong focus on community, creativity, wellbeing and empowerment and these values combined with a collaborative approach and the use of technology and art really feel to me like the future of mental health support.

We got together to record a conversation about mental health support.  It was an incredible conversation with a group of incredible people and to say I left inspired is an understatement and I can’t thank everyone involved for their time and knowledge!

I was joined by Ella from The Open Door Charity, Dave from SceneGraph Studios, Nikki, Charlotte and Kayleigh from Be Well Education, Andy and Ryan from The Convenience Gallery and Rachel from The Positivitree.

We chat about the incredible space at Bloom (the brightest building in Birkenhead!) and how a modern, collaborative approach to mental health support and wellbeing is both changing and saving lives.

We chat about the power of community, connection and self-care and about how education, creativity and empowerment are vital for promoting good mental health and overall wellbeing. 

Incredibly, we talk about virtual reality mindfulness and the importance of embracing technology in the mental health space, and we talk about changing the way mental health is portrayed and supported and we chat about the future of mental health support and what needs to change.

Please have a look around the websites of all the organisations involved in this chat and give them a follow on social media!

www.bloombuilding.co.uk @bloom_building

www.opendoorcharity.com @the-open-door-centre

www.scenegraphstudios.com @scenegraphstudios

htpps://thepositivitree.com @positivitreeuk

htpps://bewelllearning.com @bewelllearning

www.conveniencegallery.org @conveniencegallery

You can connect with me on all socials @propermentalpodcast or www.propermentalpodcast.com.

Please subscribe and leave me a lovely 5-star review as well!

If you need to seek support, you can find services close to you by visiting www.hubofhope.co.uk

Thanks for listening!  Enjoy!

Ed Cunningham

Welcome to Proper Mental episode 32, my guest this week is Ed Cunningham from A Need to Read podcast!

A Need to Read is a podcast that brings you honest and engaging book reviews, unstructured chats with inspirational guests and important conversations.

Ed has openly talked about his own mental health and how reading has really helped him to make positive changes that played a big part in him changing his life and getting better.  He’s also a huge advocate for therapy, meditation and a lot of practices that can be incredibly beneficial for mental wellbeing.

I really wanted to do a podcast specifically about the power of reading as for me it’s an incredibly important tool for both self-improvement and self-care.

Ed takes me through his own struggles with depression and anxiety and we chat about how reading helped him to navigate some tough times and changed how he viewed both himself and the world around him. 

We chat about therapy, being impulsive, meditation, journaling and of course I ask Ed to recommend some of the books that have had the biggest impact on his state of mind.

You can listen to A Need to Read on all podcast platforms and connect with Ed on Instagram @aneed2read.  His website is www.aneedtoread.co.uk.

If you’d like to chat to me about anything at all then I’m on @propermentalpodcast on all socials or you can email me via my website www.propermentalpodcast.com.

If you could take a minute to leave me 5 stars and a few kind words it would be very much appreciated!

Thanks for listening!  Enjoy!

Nemone

Welcome to Proper Mental episode 31, my guest this week is Nemone Metaxas!

Nemone is a  DJ, radio presenter and television presenter/producer. She is also a trained psychotherapist practising in West and Central London.

She started her radio career at Kiss FM before moving to Radio One for the Saturday Breakfast Show and finally finding her spiritual home at BBC 6 Music.

She is renowned for her forensically researched interviews with Hollywood actors, global music stars and comedians, all of whom come under the same thoughtful and reflective microscope.

Always having the intention to build on the psychology degree she gained as an undergraduate in Manchester, she went back to college in 2013, studying part-time alongside being a mum of two and broadcasting weekly. Six years later she gained her MA in Psychotherapy and Counselling, earning a distinction in her research project.

Over the years, she’s thrown back the curtain on the lives of Bono, REM’s Michael Stipe, Johnny Depp, Eric Cantona, James McAvoy, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and countless others, many of whom welcomed the chance to return to her shows over the years.  And now she can add me to that impressive list of conversations!

Nemone and I sat down to chat about all thing’s music.  How it can soothe us, heal us and make us feel a little better when we need it to.  We also chat about Nemone’s work as an integrative psychotherapist and how she uses the power of music in mindfulness, grounding and sleep.

You can follow Nemone on across social media @nemonemetaxas and connect with her via her website www.nemonemetaxas.com.

If you’d like to connect with me about this episode or any others then @propermentalpodcast on all socials is great with Instagram probably being the best.  You can email me at www.propermentalpodcast.com.

I love reviews and I would love you too if you could leave me 5 stars and a few kind words!

If you need to seek support, you can find services close to you by visiting www.hubofhope.co.uk.

Thanks for listening!  Enjoy!

Brent Draper

Welcome to Proper Mental episode 30!

I’m joined this time around by Brent Draper!

Brent is a MasterChef Australia contestant, father, husband and mental health advocate.

He made the news all around the world earlier this year after leaving MasterChef Australia mid-way through a season to protect his mental health.

There is a moment where Brent raises his hand during a show and tells the judges and his fellow competitors that he needs to go home and it is one of the most moving and relatable bits of television that I’ve ever seen.

As a former Boilermaker, Brent was chasing his dreams of being a chef and as he moved through the MasterChef process a lot of things started to build up and really affect his mental health until he felt the need to leave.

Brent’s story is in an unusual setting but the story behind it is very common and I think a lot of people will recognise themselves in his story.

We chat about getting stuck in a rut and changing careers, we chat about men’s mental health and the idea of masculinity and we chat about the build up to Brent leaving the show and what happened next.

Brent is such a lovely guy and is story is brave and moving and really, really common.  He happened to be on TV but the thoughts and feelings he experienced are so very human and I think a lot of people will relate to this episode.

You can follow Brent’s journey on Instagram @brentdraper_ or connect with him via his website www.brentdraper.com.au.

If you would like to keep up to date with his van adventures you can subscribe to his YouTube channel here Brent Draper - YouTube

You can catch up with me on all socials @propermentalpodcast or via my website www.propermentalpodcast.com. 

Please take 5 minutes to review this episode or any others you might have listened to!

If you need to seek support, you can find services close to you by visiting www.hubofhope.co.uk

Thanks for listening!  Enjoy!

Niki Clarke

Welcome to Proper Mental Episode 29!

My guest this week is Niki Clarke!

Niki Clarke is the founder of the mental health support charity My Black Dog.

My Black Dog is currently the only mental health online chat service.  It is staffed completely by volunteers who all have lived experience of their own mental health struggles.

Talking about your mental health is hard and asking for help can be even harder.  I love the idea of My Black Dog as a chat service is so easy to use even when someone is going through a tough time.  The fact that the person on the other side of the conversation will understand what you’re going through can be an incredible help as well.

Niki and I chat about her own mental health struggles that inspired her to set up the charity and help others, we chat about how she went about setting up the charity, how it works behind the scenes and all sorts of other things from compassion to self-care to being an advocate and a load of other stuff too!

It’s a great conversation and a fascinating insight behind the scenes of the only online chat support service for mental health.

Please go and check out My Black Dog.  They provide an incredibly important service and really are doing amazing things!  We can’t take a one size fits all approach to mental health and Niki and My Black Dog are offering a completely different service which is completely free for anyone who might need it.

You can see what My Black Dog are up to on social media @myblackdog_co and if you need their help you can chat to one of the volunteers via the website www.myblackdog.co.

You can connect with me on all socials @propermentalpodcast or www.propermentalpodcast.com.

Please subscribe and leave me a lovely 5-star review as well!

If you need to seek support, you can find services close to you by visiting www.hubofhope.co.uk

Thanks for listening!  Enjoy!

Paul Fjelrad

Paul Fjelrad is an author, sailor and C-PTSD survivor.

His book ‘The Struggle Continues’, co-written with his daughter Natasha, is an intimate and up-close look at how childhood abuse led to a spiral of self-destruction until the reunion of father and daughter starts a journey on the long, hard road back to health.

He uses his writing, speaking engagements and workshops, to break the veil of silence surrounding survivors of abuse and those otherwise battling the daily challenges and stigma associated with mental health. 

Paul and I chat about his “dissent in to madness”, C-PTSD, therapy and the process of reliving the past to write a book.

This episode is incredibly powerful and I knew it was going to be an amazing chat within the first 5 minutes of meeting Paul.

This is a deep dive to say the least!  Paul is open and honest and we leave no stone unturned.  It’s an absolutely fascinating journey and I found Paul to be really inspiring and a really lovely guy!

I also highly recommend his book to anyone regardless of whether you have an interest in mental health or not.  It’s an incredible story that handles a such a complex subject matter in a really different and beautiful way!

You can connect with Paul via Instagram @alutarcontinuar or twitter @ALutarcontinuar.

His website is www.the strugglecontinues.co.uk and Paul has also published blogs via www.joeplumb.org and www.thebookofman.com.

You can connect with me on all socials @propermentalpodcast or via my website www.propermentalpodcast.com.

If you could take a moment to leave me a 5 star review and some kind words it would mean a great deal!

Thanks for listening!  Enjoy!

If you need to seek support, find services close to you by visiting www.hubofhope.co.uk

BONUS: Happy Chilly Dipper Roundtable

Welcome to another bonus episode of The Proper Mental Podcast!

This time around I’m joined by a few members of The Happy Chilly Dippers for a roundtable episode about all things cold water, community and mental health.

After episode 27 with founder Jazmin, I wanted to explore the idea of community and connection in a little more depth and it seemed like the best way to do that was to sit down with some of the community and ask them directly.

I sat down with Daz, Amanda, Kiera and Rosie to chat about trying new things, connecting with strangers, the power of nature and cold water on mental health and wellbeing and so, so much more!

It was an amazing experience to record in person and spend time with all of them!  We sat on the floor, pressed record and just started chatting and it was incredible where it ended up going!

I can’t thank these guys enough for giving up their Saturday morning to record with me and it was an absolute pleasure to be a part of this discussion.  They are all so passionate about their community and it really has changed lives. 

It’s out today and I would love to hear what you think!  You can connect with me on all social platforms @propermentalpodcast or via my new website www.propermentalpodcast.com. 

If you could take the time to leave me a 5-star review and some kind words I would really appreciate it!

Also, please feel free to share this one far and wide because it feels a bit special and very human and I think it’s got the power to inspire anyone who might need it.

If you need to seek support, find services close to you by visiting www.hubofhope.co.uk

Thanks for listening!  Enjoy!

Jazmin Seddon

Welcome to Proper Mental episode 26!

My guest this week is Jazmin Seddon from The Happy Chilly Dippers!

Jazmin Seddon is the founding member of The Happy Chilly Dippers, a community of cold-water enthusiasts who are supporting wellbeing by embracing nature.

The community meet each day at various Wirral beaches to come together, connect with each other and embrace the water.  They have over 4000 members in their Facebook group and some of their organised dips attract hundreds of dippers.

The group was started by Jaz after she started regular cold-water dips to help her with some physical and mental health issues she was experiencing at the time and has continued to grow rapidly as more and more people are discovering the many benefits of cold-water therapy.

Jaz and I met up to chat about how the community came to be and where it’s going.  We chat about the benefits of cold water dipping and how connection, community and coming together in nature can benefit all aspects of health and mental health in particular.

It’s a great story and Jaz has really created an incredible community that all help and support each other in ways she never imagined when she started out.

I enjoyed this conversation so much and it was a real pleasure to explore these topics with Jaz.  I want Proper Mental to be a resource for mental health and cold water and community are to topics that keep coming up so it was fantastic to explore them further with someone who is making a real difference by bringing people together.

We recorded this in person, in glorious sunshine, on a hill overlooking the sea and I it was awesome to explore her ideas and hear first-hand where she plans to take this movement.

You can learn more about The Happy Chilly Dippers here:

(4) Happy Chilly Dippers 🌊 | Facebook or @happychillydippers on Instagram.

You can connect with me about anything podcast related on all social media platforms @propermentalpodcast and if you like what you hear please take a few minutes to leave me a review and some kind words it would be much appreciated!

Thanks for listening!  Enjoy!

Big Al Casey

Welcome to Proper Mental episode 26!

This week I chat to Big Al Casey!

Big Al Casey is a mental health advocate, podcast host and social media content creator.

Al is known for his pranks, stunts and banter as part of Team Wak with Woody and Kleiny and it was during filming one of their video’s that Al inadvertently became an advocate for mental health.

The video in question has been viewed over 40 million times which is just incredible!  Until then, not many people knew about Al’s struggles with mental health and the video is a great example of the power of friendship and opening up.

You can watch it here:

BLINDFOLDED TATTOO DESTROYS BEST FRIEND CHALLENGE (he cried) - YouTube

From then Al became known as someone who is open and honest about mental health and he has since started Lads, Dads and a couple of Beers, a podcast about all aspects of mental health and life in general.

Al and I chat about life as a social media prankster, men’s mental health, anxiety, vulnerability, that video and the importance of having good mates!

You can connect with Al on social media @bigalcasey and check out his work with the magician Ryan Tricks @ryantricks.  His podcast is available on all podcast platforms.

You can get hold of me on all socials @propermentalpodcast and I’m always happy to chat!  It would really help me out if you could take five minutes to leave me a nice review for this episode or any others!

If you need to seek support, find services close to you by visiting www.hubofhope.co.uk

Thanks for listening!  Enjoy!