Episodes
Tuesday Dec 19, 2023
Adam Bloom
Tuesday Dec 19, 2023
Tuesday Dec 19, 2023
Welcome to episode 161 with Adam Bloom who is a multi-award-winning stand-up comedian and writer.
Adam has made national TV appearances in Britain and The U.S. and has also ghost-written for 50 comedians.
Adam has a diagnosis of Bipolar and in this episode, we chat about his experiences with hypomania which is the less extreme part of bipolar and very different to hyper mania.
We chat about getting into comedy and the art of writing funny stuff, we chat about the mental impact of becoming successful at a young age and we chat about stress, anger, medication and all sorts of other fascinating things.
Adam is often described as the comedian’s comedian and here we also talk about why that’s important to him and how he measures success.
His book, Finding Your Comic Genius: An in-depth guide to the art of stand up is out now and is a wonderful guide to the mechanics of writing comedy and we chat about that in this episode too!
I reached out to Adam after hearing him mention hypomania on another podcast. It’s not something that has come up on Proper Mental before and it was wonderful to hear about Adam’s experience. He was absolutely lovely to chat to!
Hi book is available on Amazon here: Finding Your Comic Genius: An in-depth guide to the art of stand-up comedy: Amazon.co.uk: Bloom, Adam: 9798859382385: Books
You can connect with Adam on Instagram @adambloomcomedy or Twitter @adambloomie2.
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 £5 a month you’ll get early access to any and all episodes that aren’t available to watch anywhere else and help 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!
Thursday Dec 14, 2023
Bonus: Christmas Special 2023
Thursday Dec 14, 2023
Thursday Dec 14, 2023
Welcome to a very special Christmas episode of the Proper Mental podcast!
Tis the season that not everybody enjoys, for a lot of different reasons. I wanted to put something out at Christmas that might give someone a little lift if they needed one, even if it’s just for 5 minutes.
Sometimes 5 minutes can make all the difference.
I reached out to advocates, campaigners, authors, speakers and podcasters and friends and I asked them to record a voice note that might be nice for someone to hear over Xmas. Some of these people I knew and some I didn’t but all of them are wonderful and inspiring and I was so touched by the response.
You’ll be hearing from Chris Young, Laura Belbin, Shocka, Natasha Devon, Hannah Phillips, Yvette Caster, Natasha Rae, Tatton Spiller, James Whithey, Gabriel Nathan, Eva Echo,
I’ve put them all together here in this episode. There are some anecdotes, some advice, some kind words or useful ideas. You can listen in one go or dip in and out when you want to.
It might help if you’re not really in the mood for Christmas and if you love this time of year, then it will inspire you to love it even more.
I reached out to a bunch of strangers and asked them to leave a supportive message for a different bunch of strangers and all these people said yes.
That truly is a sign that you are not alone and to me, it’s the true spirit of Xmas.
There are so many support services that stay open and available during the Xmas period, please reach out if you need to.
Please talk to someone if you need to.
If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, head to www.hubofhope.co.uk. There’s a link in my bio.
A huge thank you to everyone involved in this episode and a huge thanks to you, for listening!
I want to wish you a Merry Christmas, in whatever shape or form that needs to take for you, and all the best for the New Year.
Here are some more links that might help:
My Black Dog | Free Online Mental Health Chat Support
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VOTE FOR PROPER MENTAL IN THE POD BIBLE MAGAZINE LISTENER POLLS HERE:
POD BIBLE LISTENER POLLS 2023 - VOTE NOW! | POD BIBLE (podbiblemag.com)
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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 £5 a month you’ll get early access to any and all episodes that aren’t available to watch anywhere else and help 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.
Thanks for listening!
Sunday Dec 10, 2023
Tasha Bailey
Sunday Dec 10, 2023
Sunday Dec 10, 2023
Welcome to episode 160 with The Real Talk Therapist, Tasha Bailey!
Tasha is an author, content creator and psychotherapist who specialises in trauma, self-love and creativity.
In this episode I chat to Tasha about why she decided to become a therapist and some of the different ways that she supports the people she works with.
We chat about the language of therapy becoming more common place and how it’s very easy to learn the words without necessarily doing the work.
And we chat about learning to talk about feelings and emotions, how challenging it can be learn about yourself and why it’s important to build trust with your therapist.
We also have a lovely chat about the E4 show @mafs, what we can learn from watching and why these sorts of shows are so popular.
It was a real pleasure to chat to Tasha about her work. Therapy accounts on social media can be pretty wild but Tasha really cuts through all that and her content is brilliant so it was great to dig in to all that a bit deeper.
Tasha’s book, Real Talk: Lessons from Therapy on Healing and Self-Love, is out now and available everywhere.
You can follow her on social media @realtalktherapist and connect via her website www.realtalktherapist.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 £5 a month you’ll get early access to any and all episodes that aren’t available to watch anywhere else and help 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!
Friday Dec 08, 2023
Kunt & The Gang
Friday Dec 08, 2023
Friday Dec 08, 2023
Welcome to episode 159 with Kunt, who is a sometime comedy songwriter turned major irritant who records and performs as Kunt & The Gang!
At Christmas 2020, his other band The K*nts, had an unexpected top 5 hit single with their protest song Boris Johnson is a F**king C**t. Since then, they have had top 20 hits with Boris Johnson is STILL a F**king C**t, F** The Tories and Scrap The Monarchy despite having no record company, no management, no PR company and no financial backing.
In this episode I chat to Mr K about his about his extensive career on the cold, outer fringes of show business and the mental impact of trying to live a creative lifestyle and go against the grain.
We chat about being skint, the state of the nation and the importance of community and protest.
We also chat about why he's not doing a Xmas single this year and has chosen to support a mystery, Bansky style musical outfit called The Krackpots who are releasing 'Proper Christmas' under very mysterious circumstances on 8th of December.
This is a much lovelier and profound chat than you’ll be expecting and I really enjoyed being part of it! I’ve loved what Mr K has done to the Christmas charts over the last few years and I will always cheer for the independent artists and the underdogs who are trying to do something different.
Get all the info about The Krackpots – Proper Christmas at www.properchristmas.info
Connect with Kunt on social media @kuntandthegang or katg.info
You can support the show and keep it fully independent and ad free by joining the Patreon community at www.patreon.com/propermentalpodcast. For £5 a month you’ll get early access to any and all episodes that aren’t available to watch anywhere else!
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!
Monday Dec 04, 2023
Christmas For CAMHS
Monday Dec 04, 2023
Monday Dec 04, 2023
Welcome to episode 158 with Ro Bevan from Christmas For CAMHS, a registered charity who provides special Christmas gifts every year for children and young people who are inpatients in child and adolescent mental health (CAMHS) wards across the UK over the Christmas holiday period.
Dr Ro Bevan got things started after working on CAMHS wards at Christmas and noticing a huge disparity in the way CAMHS units were treated over the festive period compared to other NHS services for children and young people.
Now Christmas for CAMHS aim to make children and young people who are inpatients over the festive season feel thought-about, special and included
In this episode I chat to Ro about how the charity came to be and the wonderful work that they are doing for young people on mental health wards at Christmas.
We chat about where the idea came from and how it got started and we chat about the logistics of organising and delivering gifts all over the UK and the wonderful volunteers that make this happen.
I think what Ro and the team are doing is incredible! Please go and see what they are up to and get involved if you can!
Instagram @christmasforcamhs
Twitter @Xmas4CAMHS
Facebook @ChristmasForCAMHS
www.christmasforcahms.org.uk and Donate Here Christmas For CAMHS - JustGiving
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!
Monday Nov 27, 2023
Reed Amber
Monday Nov 27, 2023
Monday Nov 27, 2023
Welcome to episode 157 with Reed Amber, who is a proud sex worker, educator, anti-shamer and activist. She is also co-founder of ComeCurious, a leading channel about sex and relationships and co-host of the award-winning F**ks Given podcast.
Reed describes herself as an anxious child and she became aware of her mental health from a young age. In this episode Reed guides me through her early experiences that led to her being diagnosed with OCD.
We chat about the different ways that OCD has affected Reed over the years and all the things she’s tried to manage it.
We talk about being addicted to drugs and phones, body image, resisting medication, different types of therapy, breakdowns and break throughs.
We also chat about sex and Reed’s work around anti-shaming. Shame and guilt are both words that are far too often associated with both sex and mental illness and it was wonderful to explore this complicated topic with Reed.
I loved chatting to Reed! She was a lot of fun and has some fascinating insights to s*x and mental illness.
You can connect with reed on social media @reedamberx and subscribe to her Only Fans here: Reed OnlyFans
You can find Come Curious here Come Curious - YouTube and follow @comecurious
You can watch this episode and loads of other unreleased episodes by signing up to the Patreon community! It’s £5 a month for early access to episodes as soon as the recording is finished, a monthly Zoom hangout and loads of other behind the scenes updates.
Sign up here: Proper Mental Podcast | Normalising open and honest conversations about mental health! | Patreon
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!
Thursday Nov 23, 2023
Bonus: Mental Wealth Festival 2023 Live Panel
Thursday Nov 23, 2023
Thursday Nov 23, 2023
Welcome to this bonus episode which was recorded live at this year’s Mental Wealth Festival in October 2023.
The Mental Wealth Festival is an annual event, hosted by City Lit, and offers free or low-fee events, including in person and online workshops, talks, discussions, exhibitions, and other activities.
I was honoured to be asked to join a panel for experts and campaigners to chat about men's mental health in contemporary society, the possible factors that impact men's wellbeing, and explore the ways in which authentic social connection and creative activity can support psychological health and healing.
The event was hosted by Ian Tucknott, who is an educator, cultural theorist, creative practitioner, and trainee art psychotherapist, with 15 years’ experience of teaching & managing in the areas of contemporary art, critical & cultural theory, and art history.
Joining me as part of the panel were Yashoda Rodgers, who is Public Programmes Manager at 64 Million Artists and they work to explore the impact of how our individual and collective creativity can make positive change in our lives and the world around us
Jon Salmon, an award-winning video producer, a digital pioneer and Co-CEO of the Speakers Collective who are challenging stigma and facilitating important conversations with lived experience speakers.
Stu Mills is Founder and Director of The Noisy Brain, a global Social Enterprise that aims to help people with mental health issues and up-and-coming musicians through lyrics, music and social connection.
Luke Ambler who is a former professional rugby player, dad, storyteller, the founder of ANDYSMANCLUB, 3 x Ironman, and an award-winning mental health campaigner.
This bonus episode is the audio from the evening that was recorded live over Zoom. You can watch the video recording by joining the Patreon community.
It’s £5 a month for early access to episodes as soon as the recording is finished, a monthly Zoom hangout and loads of other behind the scenes updates and everything goes towards keeping the show independent and ad free.
Sign up here: Proper Mental Podcast | Normalising open and honest conversations about mental health! | Patreon
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!
Monday Nov 20, 2023
Top 5 Songs for your Mental Health with Chris & Stu from Hardcore Listing
Monday Nov 20, 2023
Monday Nov 20, 2023
Welcome to episode 156, where I’m joined by Chris & Stu from Hardcore Listings for a men’s mental health awareness month special!
I reached out to the lads to borrow the Hardcore Listings format and do a Top 5 and they chose to do songs that are good for your mental health.
I also really love how comfortable both Chris & Stu are talking about things like mental health and emotions and all the things that men are always told they don’t speak about.
I also love the way they talk about this stuff, with humour and compassion.
These deeper conversations can be fun as well, it doesn’t always have to be serious and official and I wanted to show that with this episode.
We chat about sadness, grief, mental health and bad days and we chat about happy memories, good times and great songs.
We chat about The Bee Gees, Kae Tempest, Reef, Royal Blood, Sage Francis and the Grease soundtrack and we also chat about feeling your feelings and why music can feel like a hug when you need one.
You can check out all the songs from this episode on this Spotify playlist!
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6ZqjlJF07aCNBqD4mZab1c?si=3876a98af9cd4c99
I love hanging out with these two idiots!
Follow them @hardcorelisting
You can support Proper Mental by signing up to the Patreon community! It’s £5 a month for early access to episodes as soon as the recording is finished, a monthly Zoom hangout and loads of other behind the scenes updates.
Sign up here: Proper Mental Podcast | Normalising open and honest conversations about mental health! | Patreon
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!
Monday Nov 13, 2023
Sammy Trotman
Monday Nov 13, 2023
Monday Nov 13, 2023
Welcome to episode 155 with Sammy Trotman, who is the writer and creator of ‘That’s Not My Name’ a show about mental illness, labels and trauma.
Sammy started writing the show while she was in a psychiatric hospital and the reasons why she ended up in hospital are what the show is based around.
In this episode I chat to Sammy about writing the show and about open up conversations through performance, stories and humour.
We talk about the impact that society has on mental welling being and just trying to be a good person, getting by in life can be so difficult in a world that doesn’t necessarily value those qualities.
We talk about Borderline Personality Disorder, rejecting labels, being creative and rebelling against social norms.
This is a wonderful chat and I loved hanging out with Sammy. We could have talked all day and we really explored a lot of different aspects of mental illness. It was great to talk freely and dig in to these things with the nuance and compassion that they deserve.
Connect with Sammy and keep an eye out for tour dates here:
@thatsnotmynameofficial
@sammytrotman
@coveredinjam
You can support Proper Mental by signing up to the Patreon community! It’s £5 a month for early access to episodes as soon as the recording is finished, a monthly Zoom hangout and loads of other behind the scenes updates.
Sign up here: Proper Mental Podcast | Normalising open and honest conversations about mental health! | Patreon
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!
Monday Nov 06, 2023
Mark Richardson
Monday Nov 06, 2023
Monday Nov 06, 2023
Welcome to episode 154 with Mark Richardson, who is the drummer in Skunk Anansie and has previously played drums in Little Angels and Feeder.
As a child Mark found that playing drums was the only that kept him from bouncing off the walls and he eventually moved to London to join Little Angels before joining Skunk Anansie after he met the band at the Kerrang! awards.
Mark struggled with addiction for many years before getting sober in 2003 and in this episode, I chat to him about the role that drink and drugs have played in his life, the events that led him to get help and the 3 years it took him to finally stop.
We chat about identity, wearing masks, going to AA and the realities of the so-called rock and roll lifestyle.
Mark is one of the co-founders of the Music Support charity that is a non-profit collective of volunteers and professionals providing help and support for individuals in any area of the music industry and we chat about how they got started and the incredible work that they do.
Mark has also been involved in to lots of research about the positive impact of playing drums on wellbeing. Neurodiversity and dementia and that’s a fascinating part of this conversation.
Here is everything you need to connect with Mark and learn more about Music Support:
@markrichdrums
@musicsupport_uk
@officialskunkannansie
You can support Proper Mental by signing up to the Patreon community! It’s £5 a month for early access to episodes as soon as the recording is finished, a monthly Zoom hangout and loads of other behind the scenes updates.
Sign up here: Proper Mental Podcast | Normalising open and honest conversations about mental health! | Patreon
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!