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We sit down with coach and endurance athlete Jonny Pain to talk about what actually creates resilience, not the social media kind, but the kind that holds up when you’re tired, stressed, and tempted to quit.

Jonny breaks down Project Vertical, his attempt to complete a “vertical marathon” by climbing Ben Nevis again and again until the total elevation gain equals 26.2 miles. He shares what changed between the first attempt and the successful second run, including going self-supported, managing sleep deprivation, staying safe under accumulating fatigue, and learning how quickly anger burns out as fuel. We also dig into how community support can keep you moving when your own thoughts turn against you.

From special forces selection prep to everyday mental health, we get practical about fatigue management, allostatic load, HRV, and why your body just hears “stress,” whether it comes from squats, poor sleep, work pressure, or relationship strain. We push back on arbitrary targets like 10,000 steps and one-size-fits-all coaching numbers, then land on a simple theme: climb your own mountain by taking the next step, even when fear shows up. If you get something from this one, subscribe, share it with a friend who needs a nudge, and leave us a review.

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He told his brother he felt depressed and suicidal, then added the sentence so many men have been trained to say: “I just need to man up.” Not long after, Jamie was gone. And the people left behind were handed a kind of grief that comes with questions, guilt, anger, and the awful silence of a topic most people still avoid.

We’re joined by Gaz Mullen from West Yorkshire, who’s riding roughly 1,600 miles from Bradford to Benidorm on Jamie’s bike to raise money for Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide (SOBS) and to push suicide prevention conversations into the open. Gaz shares who Jamie was beyond the headlines, why returning to Benidorm matters so much, and what it’s like to carry a loss that can make friends and strangers visibly uncomfortable.

We also get practical about men’s mental health: how stigma shows up when someone says they’re in therapy, why bullying and social media can make young people feel trapped, and what actually helped Gaz stay upright when everything collapsed. We talk medication, the need for follow-up and real support, and why a “magic pill” mindset can leave people alone at the worst moment. Along the way, Gaz explains how training, routine, and purpose can turn raw grief into something survivable, mile by mile.

If you want to support Gaz’s ride, follow his journey, or share this with someone who needs a nudge to speak up, hit play. Subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review so more people who need this conversation can find it.

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Your phone is not just a device, it is a habit engine that follows you into lines, meals, conversations, and bed. We sit down with Leeds-based creative and author Paul Robinson to talk about his new book, Braindead, and the personal moments that made him realize how quickly smartphone use can become automatic. The conversation gets honest fast: the “queue without a phone” panic, the constant urge to check for something new, and how digital overload leaves us mentally tired even when we have not done anything “hard.”

We dig into the mechanics behind smartphone addiction and doomscrolling, including dopamine anticipation and the attention economy that rewards endless engagement. We also talk about what this does to kids and teens, from the challenge of “dumbing down” a smartphone to the way screen time rises the moment more apps appear, even if it is not social media. School phone policies, notifications, and the pressure to be reachable all come up, along with a bigger question: what happens to creativity, patience, and real human connection when every pause gets filled by a screen?

This is not a tech-hate rant. We share practical digital wellbeing moves that actually work in real life: turning off most notifications, reclaiming small in-between moments, reducing blue light at night, and building enough awareness to step out of the scroll before it steals your evening. We also touch on AI as a powerful tool that becomes risky when we start relying on it instead of thinking for ourselves. Subscribe for more conversations like this, share the episode with a friend who needs a reset, and leave a review with your best tip for using your phone more intentionally.

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Getting hit is the least interesting part of combat sports. What matters is what happens to your mind when pressure rises and how training teaches you to stay calm, focused, and in control when your instincts want to panic.

We sit down with Rich Cadden, a two-time Muay Thai world champion, BJJ brown belt, and coach who blends fight experience with NLP, hypnotherapy, CBT tools, and work with neurodiverse students. We talk about the mental health benefits of martial arts training and why the right gym culture can turn anger into discipline and insecurity into grounded confidence. Rich breaks down flow state and why it can feel like a clean, ethical “high” that helps quiet anxiety and depression through exercise-induced transient hypofrontality.

You’ll also hear a practical look at fear management through evidence and repetition, the stress arousal curve that explains why people freeze, and the real-world survival responses of fight, flight, freeze, and fawn. We get into bullying, boundaries, and why self-defense starts long before a confrontation with posture, awareness, and trusting your gut. If you’re curious about Muay Thai, MMA, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, or boxing for stress relief, resilience, confidence, and community, this one is a roadmap.

If you enjoy the show, subscribe, share it with someone who could use a stronger mindset, and leave a review. What’s one skill you’d want from training: calm, confidence, fitness, or focus?

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You can be “fine on paper” and still feel like your nervous system is on fire. That’s why we sit down with artist and registered art therapist Lesley Andrew to unpack how art therapy works when talking isn’t enough, and why the smallest creative act can be a turning point for stress, anxiety, trauma, burnout, and low mood.

We get clear on what art therapy is and what it is not: not a graded art class, not performance, and not about producing a perfect final piece. Lesley explains how images, color, texture, and even mess can become a safe language for emotions that feel too tangled, too painful, or too hard to name. We also talk about the myths that keep people away, including the belief that you have to be “good at art,” and why creativity can be especially powerful for people who tend to overthink and intellectualize their feelings.

The conversation widens into education and culture: what happens when schools cut arts, phones fill the empty space, and young people lose healthy outlets for expression. Lesley shares what real sessions can look like, how different materials can help regulate the nervous system, and how tiny wins like tolerating a mistake without erasing can build resilience over time. You’ll also hear practical ways to start today with low-pressure tools, plus how to find qualified support through NHS pathways, charities, private practice, and professional directories.

If this resonates, listen now, share it with someone who’s carrying too much, and subscribe for more honest conversations about mental health, self-development, and tools that actually help. After you listen, what’s one creative habit you could try for five minutes this week?

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What happens when grief becomes too heavy to carry alone?

In this episode, we sit down with a guest who turned unimaginable loss into something quietly powerful. After losing his sister Nancy to suicide, he found himself searching for a way to process what couldn’t be explained. What followed wasn’t a clear path forward, but a gradual return to stillness—through poetry, nature, and the act of putting thoughts into words.

We talk about the reality of grief that doesn’t follow a straight line, the weight of questions that never fully resolve, and how writing became a way to sit with emotion rather than escape it. From long walks in nature to late-night reflections, this is a story about learning to live alongside loss, not outrun it.

This conversation is gentle, honest, and deeply human. It’s about finding space in the noise, meaning in the pain, and connection through shared experience. If you’ve ever struggled to process something that felt too big to name, this episode might help you feel a little less alone.

Subscribe for more grounded mental health conversations, share this with someone who needs it, and leave a review with one simple practice that helps you get through hard days.

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What if the thing you use to numb the noise is the same thing keeping you from real rest?

We sit down with Jake Speakman to unpack a life spent under club lights—shots to start shifts, finishes at 4 a.m., and the illusion that sedation equals sleep. A lockdown run in flat Vans cracked that cycle. What began as clumsy first miles turned into a sub-2:45 marathon, and then into a leap that made little sense on paper: signing up for an Ironman without even knowing how to swim.

Jake takes us inside the habits that stuck: early alarms, quiet streets, and training blocks that respect recovery as much as speed. He talks about the brain fog of sleep debt, and learning why alcohol knocks you out but never truly lets you rest. We travel with him to Australia—through pool sessions at dawn, group open-water swims shadowed by the memory of his uncle’s drowning, and a scorching bike leg where fueling decides the day.

The finish line matters, but the bigger win is identity: proof that you can learn new skills, set bolder goals, and put structure back into a life that once revolved around the bar.

Along the way, we dig into the nuts and bolts: building a 130 km training week, planning hangover days with Coach Steve, and swapping road monotony for trails and sensory cues that calm the mind. Jake’s move to daytime work helps break social gravity, creating space for routines that scale—running, yoga, better sleep, and coaching education so he can give others the playbook he had to write the hard way.

Press play for a grounded, hopeful guide to changing course: from hospitality burnout to morning miles, from sedation to true sleep, and from self-doubt to goals that once felt impossible. If this conversation helps you take a first step, share it with a friend, subscribe for more real-world mental health stories, and leave a review to help others find the show.

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A 1% chance of survival. Two spinal injuries. A terminal diagnosis. Georgia Carmichael heard every reason to stop, and still chose to fight, visualise, train, and rebuild. We welcome the GB para-rower to share how a kayak accident led to months in a coma, how a second spinal stroke revealed a rare mitochondrial condition, and how a goals list — starting with survive and ending with Snowdon — became her compass through the darkest stretch of her life.

Georgia takes us inside the lonely, relentless grind of rehabilitation: relearning speech, navigating life in a wheelchair, and turning visualisation into daily practice when progress felt invisible. She explains how an athletic mindset, family support, and a stubborn streak helped her challenge the impossible — from standing for the first time in three and a half years to taking her first unthinkable steps across a pebbled beach. We trace the moment she left her wheelchair on the dock to return to the water, the empowerment of adapted rowing, and how the river’s rhythm gave her a future to row towards.

Along the way, we unpack practical lessons in resilience: how to set audacious yet actionable goals, manage risk without living in fear, and “control the controllables” when outcomes remain uncertain. Georgia also opens up about working as a physio to support others through life-changing injuries, the community she found with Millimetres to Mountains, and why she has just booked a one-way ticket to New Zealand and Australia — honouring the hospital-day visions of far horizons and a wider life.

Press play for a story that blends mindset, medicine, and the healing pull of water. If Georgia’s journey moved you, subscribe for more conversations, share this episode with someone who needs it, and leave a quick review — your words help others find the show.

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