Do you dream of pivoting your career or lifestyle later in life? Poet Donna Ashworth did just that. She began to question the busy, fast-paced, perfectionist lifestyle she assumed was the norm, and decided to start posting and performing her beautiful poetry in her 40s...

In this chat with Fearne, Donna explains how she copes with the nerves that come with doing something so new, including hypnotherapy and simply admitting out loud that she’s anxious. She also reflects on how she realised she’d been living with depression and eating disorders for a long time.

If you’re not happy it’s up to you to apply change or you can’t expect different outcomes. Donna talks through how to work out if your routine is deliciously comforting for you, or if it’s become a strait-jacket that’s holding you back. Plus, she shares why it’s helpful for others if you’re able to disclose your own ugly truths and flaws.

Donna’s latest book of poetry, To The Women, is out on the 13th of February.

If you liked this episode of Happy Place, you might also like:

Naomi Watts

Poppy Delbridge

Kate Silverton

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What is happiness to you? And do you think you deserve to be happy? Our Happy Place Book Club pick for January was Frequently Happy, by author and poet David Larbi. In his book, he combines poetry and journal prompts to help you find the glimmers in your lovely, ordinary life.

We’ll have objectively terrible days, and days that are clearly the best ever, but most days fall somewhere in between... In this chat with Fearne, David explains that while not every day is good, there’s something good in every day if you choose to look for it.

They also chat about how to stop falling back into negative thought patterns, and why the journal prompts in Frequently Happy could be helpful if you’re not sure where to start with acknowledging and getting clarity on how you feel.

Plus, there’s advice on how to move past your fear of criticism so you can share your creativity with the world, because ultimately you’ll never be able to please everyone anyway!

Listen to Book Club Meets: Dame Harriet Walter

Listen to Book Club Meets: Liane Moriarty

Listen to Book Club Meets: Miranda July

Listen to Book Club Meets: Gillian Anderson

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Actor Naomi Watts went through early menopause at 36. She was experiencing symptoms she couldn’t explain, like itchy skin, night sweats, and anxiety, but struggled to find any real information or stories about this midlife transition.

In this chat with Fearne, Naomi explains why she’s become passionate about shining a spotlight on previously taboo topics like fertility, menopause, and sex. She talks about how it felt to be told she was peri-menopausal while she was in the middle of her fertility journey, and how she’s changed her lifestyle to help manage her symptoms.

Fearne and Naomi chat about the way women are told that simply being a woman means you have to suffer and your body will be a place of pain. How can we re-write the narrative to celebrate the beauty of our bodies and cycles?

Plus, how to fight back against the ingrained idea that older women aren’t of great use or value to society...

Naomi’s book, Dare I Say It, is published by Happy Place Books and it’s out now.

If you liked this episode of Happy Place, you might also like:

Gillian Anderson

Anastacia

Caroline Hirons

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.