Know Your Own Psychology : Recent Episodes
Dr Laura Williams
Join Dr Laura Williams, Clinical Psychologist, on a journey to know you own psychology better, influence all the areas of your life and achieve more meaning, freedom and purpose. Doctor Williams has over over 17 years experience working within applied psychology. After losing her husband suddenly in 2018, she embarked on a new way of living and working. Today she is a private therapist, digital course creator, mum to 5 and a bestselling author. Doctor Williams has previously worked in specialist services in the NHS and in various Scottish prisons. Recently she contributed to both ITV and Channel 4 documentaries on the subject of morbid obesity. Doctor Williams specialises in trauma. If you want to raise your self-awareness and understand your own psychological story, then this is the podcast for you. Find out more at www.drlaurawilliams.com.
In todays episode of the podcast I talk to Laura Carey from 'Big Hearts Little Minds'. Laura is such a generous and lovely human being who has supported me from the very beginning. We began as strangers and I am now so grateful I get to support other women like Laura in their work. You can literally feel Laura's passion for the work she does. Laura's not for profit organisation helps to teach children and young people about their brain development, emotional regulation and how we can develop tool-kits to manage the ups's and down's in our lives. We also discuss parenting, how you are the person who knows your child best and how throwing away the parenting books was the best move I ever made after having my first baby a decade ago. You can find Laura over on instagram under the handle @bigheartlittlemindswl. Go give her a follow.
In this weeks episode of the podcast I talk about not just surviving the festive period, but thriving. In it, I cover things that deplete us in the areas of time, money and energy, getting intentional about how we want our Christmas to be and the relational dynamics that can trip us up and what to do about them. This is a nice short episode to make sure you star your December as you mean to go on.
Today on the podcast I am talking to Stephanie Milne. Steph is a women's health physiotherapist who earlier this month opened her own private clinic to support women in West Lothian and the surrounding areas. She specialises in pre and post-natal care of women and offers support for menopause, continence, prolapse and pelvic heath. She is a certified Mummy MOT® practitioner and offers fully comprehensive post-natal checks. She is married and has three children of her own. Steph has also been my best pal for over 30 years.
This episode covers a broad range of topics including pregnancy, infertility and IVF treatment, cumulative trauma, birth trauma and loss. I know that you will get so much value from this episode. You can find Steph @The Physio Village over on instagram.
Recommendation for Gemma Nealon @Positive Birth Scotland - www.gemmanealon.com
In today’s episode of the podcast I will be discussing neurodiversity with two expert clinicians in the area. Neurodiversity is so topical currently as more and more women are coming to recognise that the source of their mental health challenges have actually been undiagnosed neurodivergence. These women now in their 30’s and 40’s are becoming known as ‘the lost girls’ as typically their neurodivergence and sensitivities were missed as a consequence of their gender and how their presentation differed boys. We still have so much to learn about how ADHD, autism and other neuro-sensitivities show up in women and girls and I’m proud to be bringing this episode to you for that reason.
Dr Fleur-Michelle Coiffait is a Clinical Psychologist who specialises in working with people of all ages who have neurodevelopment differences, including autism and ADHD. Fleur-Michelle also works with parents, families and individuals who would like to understand aspects of neurodivergence better, including offering formal assessments for autism and ADHD for people of all ages. You can find out more here - www.coiffpsych.com
Rhona McAlpine is an occupational therapist with extensive experience working in infant, child and adolescent mental health services. Passionate about supporting individuals and their families with a focus on connection, co-occupations and co-regulation, she also has a particular interest in honouring neurodiversity and understanding the impact of stress, adversity and trauma. Rhona has developed a four-week parents group called Reframe and Regulate to support family function. You can find out more here - www.otmcalpine.co.uk
In this discussion, we talk about the intersection between neurodivergence, trauma and mental health, our own sensitivities and how noise sensitivity might be a sign that we need to incorporate self-soothing strategies into our lives. I hope you get some helpful insights from this episode.
Book Recommendation: Divergent Mind, written by Jenara Nerenberg
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Divergent-Mind-Jenara-Nerenberg/dp/0062876791
In today's episode of the podcast, I talk you through six things I believe everyone should know about anxiety. I also give some context as to how our ever increasing mental load and the external pressures we may be under can contribute to this. Here are some of the headlines. Anxiety is normal. The media portrayal of anxiety can often be unhelpful and finally treatment for anxiety must be tailored to the individual and the particular type of anxiety for it to be effective. I also talk about the interplay between anxiety and depression.
If you listened to the end and you're here looking for the link to join the waiting list for my 'secret' doors open to the programme, sign up here - www.knowyourownpsychology.com/opt-in
In today's episode of the podcast I talk candidly about the loss of my husband, Matty, in 2018. His loss was sudden, traumatic and it changed my life's trajectory in an instant. In talking about my experience, I hope to model how we can overcome challenging events and use them to empower ourselves and others. I will discuss the difference between trauma and grief and how the stages of grief were never supposed to be linear. I also talk to my partner Murray, who I met when I joined Widowed and Young (WAY), a charity that supports people widowed before the age of 50. Having both lost a spouse we discuss love after loss, how grief is different for everyone and how we choose to parent out children through their grief. This felt very exposing. I hope you get something from it.
Thank you for listening. If you loved the episode, please leave me a rating or review on apple podcasts. And, if you have any questions for me, email hello@drlaurawilliams.com
'Grief Writer: A Journal' can be found here:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Grief-Writer-Dr-Laura-Williams/dp/B09KN7Y2QR/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1IB3MBP96ARQH&keywords=grief+writer+a+journal&qid=1666734889&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIwLjAwIiwicXNhIjoiMC4wMCIsInFzcCI6IjAuMDAifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=grief+writer+a+journal+%2Caps%2C247&sr=8-1
Widowed and Young, the organisation that supported our families can be found here:
https://www.widowedandyoung.org.uk
Trigger Warning
In this episode references are made to suicide. If you find any of the content difficult, please reach out and seek the appropriate support.
Samaritans - 116 123
Breathing Space 0800 83 85 87
In today's episode of the podcast I speak to Josh Connolly. Josh is a resilience coach and an accredited breath work facilitator. He speaks candidly about his experiences of growing up with an alcoholic parent, his own struggles with alcohol and how he works with people to release their trauma. We also talk about how we can improve collective mental health through early intervention and funding children's mental health. This has been one of my favourite conversations on the podcast so far. I hope you love listening to it as much as I did recording it.
Thank you for listening. If you loved the episode, please leave me a rating or review on apple podcasts. And, if you have any questions for me, email hello@drlaurawilliams.com
In this solo episode I uncover what I really mean when I talk about 'knowing your own psychology', share my teen obsession with serial killers and why that is linked to work I do now and offer a sneak peak of some of the concepts I teach in my new online course. Spoiler alert...you can cultivate your psychological mindedness, anxiety is a symptom of the problem, not the problem itself and trauma exists on a spectrum.
Thank you for listening. If you loved the episode, please leave me a rating or review on apple podcasts. And, if you have any questions for me, email hello@drlaurawilliams.com.
Trigger Warning Topics include child loss, abortion and traumatic loss. There are also references made to suicide.
In today's episode of the podcast, I talk to Dr Sarah Madigan. Sarah and I first met as colleagues completing our clinical psychology training in the NHS in 2009. She is now a dear friend. Having both experienced the traumatic loss of a loved one, we share similarities in how we have survived those losses and how we have thrived. In this episode we discuss joy after traumatic loss, post-traumatic growth and female leadership. We also discuss Sarah's book 'I Cannot Get This Wrong', which you can purchase at the link below.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cannot-Get-This-Wrong-Collective/dp/B09GYTPPJH/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3AH2ATX0IMN47&keywords=i+cannot+get+this+wrong&qid=1664307942&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIxLjMxIiwicXNhIjoiMC44MSIsInFzcCI6IjAuODgifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=i+cannot+get+this+%2Caps%2C359&sr=8-1
This was an emotional and important conversation. I am so delighted to share Sarah's joyful take on life as we continue on this journey of lifting each other up.
Thank you for listening. If you loved the episode, please leave me a rating or review on apple podcasts. And, if you have any questions for me, email hello@drlaurawilliams.com.
In today's episode of the podcast, I talk to Tom Lowndes of Hot Dub Time Machine. Tom is best known as the worlds first time travelling DJ. After his recent gig at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, I reached out and Tom agreed to appear on the Pod. This was a great conversation in which we talk about the use of music to heal, mental health and why having a psychologist is a great way to gain perspective. For anyone looking for support around alcohol or drugs, please check out the following link to Narcotics Anonymous and other organisations at Adfam. Narcotics Anonymous - https://ukna.org Adfam - https://adfam.org.uk/help-for-families/useful-organisations Thank you for listening. If you loved the episode, please leave me a rating or review on apple podcasts. And, if you have any questions for me, email hello@drlaurawilliams.com.
In today's episode of the podcast, I talk to Danniella Westbrook. An actress and television presenter, Danniella is best known for playing the role of Sam Mitchell in Eastenders. Following a very public battle with addiction, she now spends her time speaking out about substance misuse, helping others struggling with addiction and working on her recovery daily. In today's 'A Session With', Danniella and I talk about her views on media scrutiny (it's not what you might expect), the impact of addiction on her relationships and how she manages to stay grounded in her life now. The book I mention, a Sunday Times bestseller, is 'The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober', written by Catherine Gray. It can be found at the following link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Unexpected-Joy-Being-Sober-alcohol-free-ebook/dp/B0721L1L39/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?crid=3JU8SG23S0UEI&keywords=the+joy+of+being+sober&qid=1663272638&sprefix=the+joy+of+being+sober%2Caps%2C69&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1 For anyone looking for addiction support, please check out the following link to Narcotics Anonymous and other organisations at Adfam. Narcotics Anonymous - https://ukna.org Adfam - https://adfam.org.uk/help-for-families/useful-organisations Thank you for listening. If you loved the episode, please leave me a review on apple podcasts. And, if you have any questions for me, email hello@drlaurawilliams.com.
In episode 1 of the podcast, I wanted to offer discussion on something that I know resonates with many of you who follow my work. Imposter Syndrome is something that studies estimate 70% of the population will experience at one time or another. In this episode, we explore what Imposter Syndrome is (and isn't), how it might manifest in your life, some examples of when I myself have felt like an imposter and also some key solutions to overcome its affects. I also offer a recommendation for 'The Imposter Cure' written by Doctor Jessamy Hibberd, a fellow clinical psychologist. In her book, she provides even more clarity and allows readers to work through various exercises to understand and shift imposter syndrome for good. You can find the book at the following link. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Imposter-Cure-mind-trap-imposter-syndrome/dp/1783253061/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=the+imposter+cure+by+dr+jessamy+hibberd&qid=1662925655&sprefix=the+imposter+%2Caps%2C78&sr=8-1 Thank you for listening. If you loved the episode, please leave me a review on apple podcasts. And, if you have any questions for me, email hello@drlaurawilliams.com.
In this brief introductory episode of 'Know Your Own Psychology', I talk about how long I've considered starting a podcast, the reasons why I personally love them and also what content I hope to bring you over this first series. I have some amazing guests lined up and know that these conversations will help shine a light on your own psychology too. Thanks for being here with me. You can find more free content from me over on Facebook or Instagram @drlawilliams. Laura x