Happy Place

Does being happy make us healthier, not only mentally, but physically too? Dr Rangan Chatterjee explains the very real effect chronic mental stress can have on our bodies. 80% of ailments he sees as a GP are due to our collective modern lifestyle – that’s not to shame anyone, it’s to help us understand the lifestyle changes we can all make to alleviate both mental and physical symptoms. In this chat, he and Fearne talk about why core happiness isn’t the billboard image of a smiling family on the beach, and why the truth often doesn’t matter when it comes to our happiness, it’s about the story we choose to tell ourselves...Rangan’s book, ‘Happy Mind, Happy Life: 10 Simple Ways To Feel Great Every Day’ is out now. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Actor Ruth Wilson feels she can’t help but bring the essence of herself to all the characters she plays. She’s learnt that in both her professional and personal life the most rewarding moments come from being the most authentic version of herself.In this chat with Fearne, Ruth wonders whether embodying so many different characters has helped her be less judgemental of other people and herself in real life, and they both explore how we can learn more about ourselves through our relationships with others.True Things is out in UK cinemas on April 1st. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Why can it feel more difficult to talk about mental health with the people you’re related to? In this Mother’s Day special of Happy Place, Fearne and her mum Lin explore their shared ancestry, wondering how much of who they are and what they feel is down to nature, and how much is nurture.In this chat, Fearne hears about her maternal grandmother, who she’s always known suffered mentally, but has only recently learnt more of the details from her own mum. They also touch on how Lin inspired Fearne’s connection to spirituality and the idea that there’s something bigger at play in the universe. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Death is often viewed as something dark and muted, but after the death of her beloved sister, author Clover Stroud began to see the world in vivid colour. In this chat Fearne and Clover explore how death can teach us that it’s the tiny moments in life that truly matter; it’s the in jokes and funny glances that we remember about people. That realisation should be liberating for us in the here and now: we can slow down, stop seeking grand success, and focus on the little things.They also talk about their take on signs after someone’s died. Can they be mentally and emotionally helpful even if some part of us knows they’re not real?Clover’s book is as much about life as it is death - The Red of My Blood is out now. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

At 18 years old, Sophie Morgan was in a car crash, and was instantly paralysed from the chest down. Eighteen years on, she is now one of the only TV presenter’s in the world with a physical disability. She’s also an artist and an award-winning disability advocate. Sophie speaks passionately about how adversity influences her life to be filled with more gratitude.In this chat with Fearne, Sophie talks about how, after her injury, she felt as paralysed by fear as she was by her physical body, but as she adapted to her body, and the inaccessible world around her, she found ways to embrace her situation, to throw herself into physical challenges and test the limits of her ability, so that ultimately she became more alive, more purposefully and more fulfilled in life. She and Fearne also share an admiration for Mexican painting, the icon, Frida Kahlo, and they chat about how art can bring us all back to life.Sophie’s first book, a powerful and remarkable memoir, that Fearne said “will change your perspective on li

Are you an introvert or an extrovert? Actress Tuppence Middleton is very clear that as an introvert, she is overwhelmed by being around other people and needs time alone to recharge. In this chat with Fearne, Tuppence discusses her OCD. Mental counting, checking lights, and checking taps are all current manifestations of it, but she acknowledges that her panic has taken different forms across different periods of her life. They also explore the themes touched upon in her new ITV show Our House, such as the practical aftermath of a relationship breakdown, particularly when there are shared homes and children involved.Four-part series Our House starts on ITV and ITV Hub on the March 7th.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Do you ever stop and ask what’s driving your behavioural patterns? New York Times bestselling author and self-confessed spiritual junkie Gabby Bernstein has spent the last few years thinking about how traumas from her past were manifesting in the present as workaholism, drug abuse, and alcoholism. In this chat with Fearne, Gabby talks through how we use things like work, substances, or even spirituality to numb parts of ourselves that we don’t want to look at, but that they do serve a purpose in protecting us. She also explains how trauma can lead to us dissociate from, and even erase, memories. Content warning: this episode contains frank chat about sexual abuse so do take care while listening.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

For 17 years Björn Natthiko Lindeblad lived in Thailand’s jungle as a forest monk. He learnt how calm can encourage clarity of thought, that he preferred walking meditation to sitting, and that freedom can come from not being bound to material possessions.At the time of recording, Björn was very ill; he had ALS, a progressive nervous system disease. He knew that he would not be alive when this episode was released. In this chat with Fearne, he talks about how his time as a Buddhist monk helped him make peace with the idea of death.Björn’s book is called I May Be Wrong: And Other Wisdoms from Life as a Forest Monk, and it’s out now.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

There’s bravery in wanting to connect with people in a truly authentic way. Musician Johnny Marr has found that across his career the songs people resonate with most are his most vulnerable, autobiographical tracks. Outside of music, there are lessons to be learnt there about how we might all best connect with each other.In this chat with Fearne, Johnny explains why it’s more valuable to be an expert than be famous, and why his best creative work often comes in the moments he’s not putting any pressure on himself to write a masterpiece.Johnny’s new double album ‘Fever Dreams Pts 1-4’ is out on February 25th, and he'll tour UK arenas with Blondie beginning in April 2022.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

What would you try if you didn’t have to do it perfectly? Best-selling author, and the ‘High Priestess of creativity’ Julia Cameron feels perfectionism is a stalling device. When we deny ourselves the right to attempt something, we in turn deny ourselves pleasure and joy.In this chat with Fearne, Julia explains why jealousy tells you what you really want and care about, and how this can be positively harnessed to shape your future. Plus she talks through non-religious prayer, and how getting in touch with a benevolent higher power – you might call this God, the universe, or something else – can help focus your creative mind.Julia’s new book, Seeking Wisdom: A Spiritual Path to Creative Connection, is out now. 2022 marks the 30th anniversary of the publication of her classic The Artist’s Way, which is published by Souvenir Press in the UK.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It’s often the case that fear is running the show. Dr Pippa Grange says it’s not always obvious that you’re afraid – you might be more familiar with the kind of fear you feel in the moment, like taking a driving test or giving a presentation – but it can in fact sneakily manifest as the chronic fear of not being good enough, and of being rejected.In this chat with Fearne, psychologist Pippa explains why you have to fail before you succeed. As the woman who supported the England football team during the 2018 World Cup, she explains when it’s important to set performance based goals, and when to let go of thinking you can control the outcome.Pippa’s book, Fear Less, is out now.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Do you find fitness and keeping your body healthy fun? Twins Dave and Steve Flynn – perhaps better known as The Happy Pear – love keeping fit in a way that feels like play. They listen to their bodies; they move intuitively. Sometimes that means handstands, sometimes it means yoga, and a lot of the time it means a cold morning swim in the Irish Sea.In this chat with Fearne, Dave and Steve explain why they feel community is the antithesis of loneliness, as all human beings ultimately have the same needs: to be accepted, seen, and loved. Plus, as fellow vegans, the three discuss getting more vegetables into your diet when you’re time poor.The Happy Pear’s latest book, The Veg Box, is available to pre-order now.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Audiobook exclusive: Bigger Than Us.Calm anxiety through connection. Find happiness through purpose. Feel comfort in the universal. Think bigger to unlock you.In her new book, Bigger Than Us, Fearne Cotton seeks out the insight and advice of wise minds to explore what they can teach us to achieve happiness, connection and hope. Here, Fearne exclusively shares the introduction and first chapter of the book with Happy Place listeners.Bigger Than Us is available as a hardback, an ebook, and an audiobook from the 20th of January: https://smarturl.it/biggerthanusbookYou can get your audiobook version on Audible, Apple Books, and Google Play.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It’s important to take time to figure out how to trust your own opinions of yourself rather than believing other peoples’ opinions of you. This is something author Freya North has been meditating on recently.In this chat, she and Fearne talk about how many of us are used to functioning at an extremely high level of stress without realising we’re pushing ourselves to breaking point, and Freya explains why she now gives as much attention to her emotional self as her physical self.Freya’s 15th novel, Little Wing, is published on 20th January by Welbeck, and is available in hardback or ebook.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

You shouldn’t always believe your thoughts. Psychotherapist and meditation teacher Tara Brach feels freedom comes from understanding that you are not your thoughts; they’re real, but they’re not necessarily true. In this chat with Fearne, Tara explains how to challenge what you think your mind is telling you, especially about yourself. Plus, they discuss how gratitude and compassion towards others can alleviate suffering.Trusting the Gold is Tara’s new book, and it’s available now in hardback.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Are you conscious of where the pressures you feel are coming from? Are they external or internal? Diver Tom Daley has been meditating on these different types of pressures recently, so in this chat he and Fearne discuss the power of validating ourselves rather than waiting for others to tell us we’re doing well. Plus, he explains the process he and husband Lance had to go through to adopt as a same sex couple, and how having a son has changed his view on chasing perfection.Tom’s book is called Coming Up For Air, and it’s out now.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this special episode, Fearne is joined by Jake Humphrey and Damian Hughes from The High Performance Podcast. They all share their favourite moments from Happy Place and High Performance in 2021, and discuss the impact those chats had on them, as well as reflecting on what their guests have taught them this year.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Reflecting on experiences from childhood can help us understand who we are today. Radio 1 presenter Matt Edmondson has been learning music production – an entirely new skill for him – and has been using it to explore feelings about his past.In this chat with Fearne, he opens up about being diagnosed with cyclothymia and how this new knowledge of his moods has changed his life for the better, and how he’s learnt to control his flow states, rather than them controlling him.Matt’s podcast, Not Another Love Song, is available to listen to on all podcast platforms.CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains frank conversation about suicide and alcoholism, so do take care while listening.Click here to book your ticket for Fearne's book launch event at Cadogan Hall: https://cadoganhall.com/whats-on/fearne-cotton-bigger-than-us-book-launch/  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Treating our soil differently could have a knock on effect on our physical and mental health, as well as the health of the environment. As one half of Groove Armada, Andy Cato travelled the world playing music, but for the last 15 years his MO has been revolutionising the way we grow food. In this chat with Fearne, he talks about the importance of re-connecting with nature and how we can all positively impact the planet via the food we eat. Discover more about Andy’s work at Wildfarmed: https://wildfarmed.co.uk/ and watch their short 7-minute film: "A Story About Bread" Click here to book your ticket for Fearne's book launch event at Cadogan Hall: https://cadoganhall.com/whats-on/fearne-cotton-bigger-than-us-book-launch/  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

There’s never going to be anything comfortable about facilitating change, but if we deeply care about a cause we should do it nonetheless. As well as entertaining the nation on TV, Jamie Oliver has spent decades learning about, and fighting for, healthier food policies. In this chat, Fearne and Jamie explore how failure can ignite more fire in your belly, and why a little optimistic naivety might initiate more ground-breaking change than a measured approach.Jamie’s new recipe book is called Together: Memorable Meals Made Easy, and is available to buy now.Click here to book your ticket for Fearne's book launch event at Cadogan Hall: https://cadoganhall.com/whats-on/fearne-cotton-bigger-than-us-book-launch/  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.