Therapy Works

Julia Samuel

Bestselling author and psychotherapist, Julia Samuel, invites us into her therapy room as she talks to both known and unknown voices about some of life’s biggest challenges.

Therapy Works is full of therapeutic conversations which may contain difficult emotions but those that can paradoxically bring light, in all its form.

Listeners will hear what the guests have learnt, failed to learn and how they have grown through their experience. At the end of each episode, Julia reflects on her session with her two psychotherapist daughters who will share their thoughts on the conversation. You’ll quickly discover that not all therapists agree on everything!

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271 episodes
Updated Friday

Episodes271

Newest first

May 24, 2023 · 1 hr 4 min
Dr Rupy Aujla on discovering that every challenge is an opportunity
This is an episode about change, and showing how even change that we want and choose can be hard to process. The wonderful Dr Rupy Ajula is a well known Doctor who founded The Doctors Kitchen and believes that food is a powerful medicine. He has succeeded in life because of his innate warmth and genuine intent to make the world a better place. He talked to me about the challenge of moving from being a practising Doctor in the NHS to being an entrepreneur and businessman. In this conversation you will hear about: - How tricky it can be to form a new identity and a new sense of legitimacy in a new role. Particularly if it presses your buttons of ‘How much am I allowed’ and when it challenges our values of what is ‘good.’ - The challenges of building a business that is in public view, and therefore open to the opinions of others. How hard it is to hold trust in one’s own purpose and meaning. - Fascinating insights into what influences us as adults, is what has been modelled for us as a child. -The strengths and particular nuances of being born a British Asian, how that influences him and inspires him to go forward, and yet his parents wish to protect him from the very risks they took. - How developing our true self and finding our own identity; sometimes we have to go away in order to be able to come back. - The amazing power of a gratitude practice. You will hear how this simple practice has shaped and supported Rupy to enable him to be the man he is today. - How gratitude can influence you to reframe what is difficult or negative to something that brings an opportunity. Aligning trust as a guiding force – ‘even not right moves are right moves.’ Trust enables him to tap into his innate guiding force and find his path. - Love is the strongest medicine; how love gives him strength being ‘Held by the hands of the people that love you.’ - We discuss the power of food, it is generative as a way of loving family, friends and neighbours. As well, of course as curative physically. Find more information on Dr Rupy: Website: https://thedoctorskitchen.com/ Instagram: @doctors_kitchen Podcast: https://thedoctorskitchen.com/podcasts/ App: https://thedoctorskitchen.com/app/ Find Julia: Julia’s Website: https://juliasamuel.co.uk/ Julia’s Instagram: @juliasamuelmbe -- Produced by Georgie Rutherford Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
May 17, 2023 · 1 hr 9 min
Clare Hatton on the unbearable pain of watching your child suffer a mental breakdown
As a parent watching your child suffer is unbearable. For Clare her beautiful son Harrison aged 16 admitted to feeling suicidal. Clare’s conversation with me, which is deeply personal and painful, represents the mental health pandemic in young people, which is wrecking lives – individually, in families and in society as a whole. In this episode you will hear: The first time Clare heard that Harrison was contemplating taking his own life, how devastating it was, and also what a relief that he did tell her. How Clare was split in two – between being his loving caring mother and a human being trying to find a solution to his problem. How, as a parent, we all, and Clare in this case, looks back and wonders what did I miss? What did I do wrong? Did I build him the wrong way? The pervasive sense of guilt as a parent when we can’t fix our child’s problem. The intensity of the struggle Clare and her husband had in trying to find him the support her child needs – incompetence, lack of care, lack of resources, constantly hitting brick walls. To the extent that Harrison still has no consistent support now. You will hear one of the distressing episodes of Harrison’s breakdown and how traumatising it is for the whole family. Clare’s inspiring determination to keep Harrison alive, and fight for his support. Her description of the catalogue of failings In a Mental Health system which is broken and fractured. How, as a family they live with the burden of this terror, that Harrison might one day succeed. We want this episode to help you have conversations in your family to ensure that your loved ones can be honest with you about their Mental Health, as prevention is the best cure. Also it’s important we recognise the scale of the problem in Children and Adolescent Mental health Services so we can campaign to improve them. Important support links: Community Advice and Listening Line (C.A.L.L.) - https://www.callhelpline.org.uk/ Maytree Suicide Respite Centre - https://www.maytree.org.uk/ James' Place - https://www.jamesplace.org.uk/get-support/ Shout - https://giveusashout.org/ Calm Halm - https://calmharm.co.uk Papyrus - https://www.papyrus-uk.org Child Mind - https://childmind.org/ Charlie Waller Foundation - https://charliewaller.org/ This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/therapyworks and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
May 10, 2023 · 1 hr
Ruby Wax on how she learnt to use comedy as a way to bear the unbearable
As most of you will know Ruby Wax is a comedian, actor and author as well as a mental health campaigner. Our conversation was particularly powerful because we got under the hood of the performer Ruby, and gained insight into who she really is, and how she got to be who she is. In listening to her honesty you will connect with yourself and recognise some of the influences that led you, the listener, to be you. We discussed complex issues like: What led Ruby to be ‘not as well as [she] thought [she] was’ and her breakdown after 12 years of being stable. Why her experience of depression was like a ‘holocaust inside’. How we navigate together the difficult line of describing her experience without triggering her to drop back into it. The power of comedy as a defence and as a way to bear the unbearable We discuss the roots of Ruby’s depression and how it stemmed from the abuse and terror of her childhood and how that terror lives on and plays out in our daily life, even if managed. For Ruby being at home is a place of threat and how she feels ’trapped’ when locked inside her house for too long. You need to listen to this episode if you want to understand depression, yourself and what can help you. Buy Ruby's new book: https://amzn.eu/d/aaTlK7b Find support at the Frazzled Cafe: https://www.frazzledcafe.org/ --- Please buy a ticket to my Masterclass, 'Change your family dynamics with Julia Samuel at The School of Life' on 16th and 22nd May: https://www.theschooloflife.com/amsterdam/julia-samuel-change-your-family-dynamics/?utm_source=colla&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=juliapodcast Discount code: TheSchool_Julia Find Julia: Julia’s Website: https://juliasamuel.co.uk/ Julia’s Instagram: @juliasamuelmbe Grief Works app: https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/grief-works-self-care-love/id1558867513 -- Produced by Georgie Rutherford Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
May 3, 2023 · 55 min
Julia Samuel sits in the therapy chair and shares the challenges she has faced
To mark the publication of the paperback of my book Every Family Has a Story, we decided to do a role reversal and I invited the fantastic comedian and podcaster Cariad Loyd to put me in the therapy chair.
Apr 5, 2023 · 1 hr 8 min
Zoe Blaskey on navigating the huge challenges of motherhood
For those of you who don’t know Zoe Blaskey, she is the founder of Motherland, the host of the brilliant podcast of the same name and a transformational coach. For those that do know her I think you will be delighted by this open and honest conversation, from which I learned so much.  Zoe is a mother of two and openly speaks about learning to lean into what she was struggling with, which was every aspect of motherhood. This conversation is full of nuggets of wisd
Mar 29, 2023 · 54 min
Abi Morgan on personal trauma and rewriting the narrative
Abi Morgan is the brilliant screen writer of huge films like The Iron Lady, Shame and the hugely successful TV series, The Split. She is also the author of the memoir ‘This Isn’t A Pity Memoir’ charting the devastating story of her husband’s illness in which she was ‘absolutely the same and profoundly changed.’ As someone who uses words as a profession, we discover in this podcast that Abi uses words to help her think, to make sense and connect, and to enable us to enter her interna
Mar 22, 2023 · 1 hr 9 min
Jonny Wilkinson on how success ultimately brought him pain
Today I am joined by Jonny Wilkinson, widely known as the best British Rugby player of all time, who represented England and British and Irish Lions, and is famous for scoring the winning drop goal in 2003 at the Rugby World Cup Final.  We all need to hear this conversation as it challenges many of our fixed beliefs about winning and losing, control, success and freedom. Jonny broke through the chains of limiting beliefs and is someone who shows us that in order to do so w
Mar 15, 2023 · 1 hr 6 min
Maya Shankar on her heartbreaking fertility challenges and the importance of kindness
This beautiful, moving and revelatory conversation is about loss and also of course, about love. Dr Maya Shankar is a cognitive scientist as well as the host of the extraordinary podcast A Slight Change of Plans which was Apple’s Best Show of 2022.  In this episode we discuss: <ul><li>How to navigate a life full of unexpected challenges, particularly around fertility.</li><li>We discuss surrogacy, a subject that is new and still relatively unknown to most and part
Mar 8, 2023 · 1 hr 6 min
Evanna Lynch on her relationship with fame and her desire to create deep connections
If you want to hear someone who is crazily famous and who is totally unchanged by her fame then you want to listen to this wonderfully open and honest conversation. It is tender, funny, warm and wise. Evanna Lynch is best known for her role as the quirky Luna Lovegood in Harry Potter, she is also a podcaster, a supporter of animal rights and an author. She is an incredibly interesting woman that I know many young people will relate to.  Amongst the many interesti
Mar 1, 2023 · 59 min
Geraint John on navigating dark times and embracing life after loss
My first conversation with Geraint John on this podcast had a big impact on you all. You were moved by his honesty and the psychological difficulty he faced for himself and his whole family when his beautiful wife Debs was terminally ill. This conversation is as heartrending, letting you know how he, Debs and his family have navigated her devastating loss.  This is a powerfully emotional episode which will help you understand yourself as a griever and the grief of others.
Feb 22, 2023 · 1 hr 4 min
Susannah Constantine on hiding behind a facade and learning how to like herself
Susannah Constantine is a former TV fashion guru (one half of the eponymous What Not To Wear duo), TV presenter and author. This conversation is full of therapeutic light bulb moments where Susannah begins to see something familiar in a new way. As you also might expect like anything with Susannah, it’s also full of laughter, wisdom and humanity.  Topics we discuss include: <ul><li>What we inherit from our parents.</li><li>The difficulty of ‘putting on a show’ and
Feb 15, 2023 · 58 min
Andrew G. Marshall on the power of embracing pain in order to heal
Andrew G. Marshall is a well known marital therapist and I sat down with him to discuss the grief he felt following his father’s death. His understandings are rooted in his decades as a therapist and have a particular clarity I think many of you will find helpful. In this episode, we discuss: <ul><li>How the death of a parent in old age is still a big psychological event and brings up many related losses which are often unrecognised. </li><li>The power o
Feb 8, 2023 · 55 min
Trisha Goddard on overcoming enormous adversity and finding love and happiness
*Trigger warning - includes references to racial abuse that some listeners might find distressing* This is a fast moving energetic conversation which will at times stop you in your tracks. Trisha Goddard is an extraordinarily successful actress and television presenter. In this deep and emotionally revealing interview, Trisha takes us on a ride with courage and honesty. You will discover how she overcame enormous adversity and how she has finally found love and happiness a
Feb 1, 2023 · 59 min
Yvette Caster on battling bipolar disorder and life as an emotional eater
This is an episode you need to listen to if you want to understand the experience of suffering mental illness. Yvette, as one of our unheard voices describes with stigma blowing clarity what it is like to live with mental illness. She suffers from bipolar disorder, depression and binge eating.  The first thing you will realise is that suffering from a mental illness is very different from having difficult feelings. It is a serious, life changing and often misunderstood conditio
Jan 25, 2023 · 52 min
Bryony Gordon on the realisation that she is not her thoughts
There is so much to tell you about this fantastic conversation with Bryony Gordon. You will love it. I was gripped by her. She is a headlining journalist, with a column and features with notable public figures. She has written many brilliant books charting her life and in the process showing us what it is to be diagnosed with OCD, depression and addiction.  We discussed a feast of topics including: <ul><li>The pressure of expectations. We are expected to live happ
Jan 18, 2023 · 51 min
Suzanne Rizk on the challenges of her mother’s death during Covid
In this profoundly moving episode, Suzanne opens up about all the challenges that surrounded her mother’s death during Covid-19. Covid was an incredibly difficult time for all of us but the greatest challenge had to be the heightened complexity of a Covid death. Many of you will resonate with Suzanne’s moving story and the psychological difficulties the Covid restrictions imposed on all of us. In this episode, we discuss:  <ul><li>The heightened complexity of a Co
Jan 11, 2023 · 1 hr 21 min
Dr Rangan Chatterjee on how his Dad’s death taught him that pain can be an opportunity to grow
Dr. Rangan Chatterjee is a medical doctor who has translated his learnings from decades of experience as a GP into 5 best-selling books and his No 1 Health podcast Live Better Live More. I am a huge fan of Rangan and was lucky enough to be a guest on his podcast and can now call him a much-respected friend.  This wonderful conversation takes us into the personal process of Rangan the man whose biggest achievement is his unique journey which has now led him to pursue a more joyf
Dec 23, 2022 · 15 min
Reflecting on Season 1
In today’s special reflection episode, we discuss our experience of working together as family and as therapists. As in all things therapeutic it is important to reflect on what we’ve done - good and bad so we can continue to learn and grow for the next season.  We discuss: <ul><li>The importance of stories and having a narrative in therapy. </li><li>Why like therapy, it is a mutual benefit because we’ve gained and learned a lot from our g
Dec 23, 2022 · 20 min
Answering your Christmas Questions
Christmas can be tricky even when we aren’t facing a particular challenge. And it can be extra hard when you’re grieving or going through other personal difficulties.  In today’s episode, the three of us discuss: <ul><li>Acknowledging that Christmas is always intensified as there’s always pressure to have to a perfect time. </li><li>Why we all need to be realistic and recognise that not everyone is going to be happy all the time and that’s ok. It’s important
Dec 21, 2022 · 1 hr 4 min
Richard E. Grant on how permission from the person we loved and lost can put a pocketful of happiness in every day
"Because her edict was to find that pocketful of happiness in each day. Feeling no guilt seems an incredibly generous and welcome gift to have been unexpectedly given by her." Richard E. Grant is an actor, author and director who has appeared in over 80 films and television programs, such as Withnail And I, Star Wars and was previously Oscar nominated for his supporting role in Can you Ever Forgive me?. His beloved wife Joan died in Sept