Dawn Breaks: Recent Episodes
Harriet Oliver
Dawn Breaks is a mental health podcast all about finding hope after reaching rock bottom. The podcast's host, Harriet, is a qualified Art Therapist practising in the UK. Beginning with her own story and then each week with a new guest, Harriet explores what hopeless might look and feel like, what helped and how to find more hope, joy and inspiration through the real life stories shared.
During this episode Harriet and Christina dive into pergnancy and perinatal mental health and how this is impacted by external events (Covid lockdowns in this case!). Christina shares an interesting shift in mindset which happened as aresult. Listen and be inspired!
During this episode Harriet and Carrie speak about autoimmune disorders, the sacrifices we make for our mental health and why. Carrie shares with us how she moved from victim mindset to mindset coach! Listen and feel inspired
During this special episode, Emma and Harriet explore a very low time for Emma. Together they think about what comes from those low moments and how we are treated by professionals has a massive impact on both our ability to seek help and to begin recovery.
Listen and feel uplifted!
During this week's episode, Harriet welcomes her long time friend Anh Tuan. Anh Tuan shares his experiences of loss and some times which were particularly difficult for him. Importantly, he shares what he has taken from these difficult times and why it is so important to him to be there to support and uplift others.
Listen and be inspired!
This week, Jess shares with us a very difficult period in her life and the learning she had to do in order to heal. Now in a place of complete transformation from where she was she shares what was most helpful along the way.
Listen and be inspired!
Please be aware this episode contains difficult themes. Please listen to the warning at the very start of the episode.
This week, Jude shares with Harriet some extremely difficult and tragic evens in her life and explores how they impacted her in different ways. They explore together what point it was which she needed to get to before she started to make changes and shape her life to be one in which she is happier and more in control.
Jude shares her biggest support tips and what she has learnt along the way. Listen and be inspired!
Please be aware that this week's episode may contain themes which could be distressing to listeners such as birth trauma and traumatic events
This week Harriet is joined by Nina, who shares a really challenging time she has experienced with her mental health. Exploring her two birth experiences and some other significant events, she reflects on what supported her most to feel back on track.
Now supporting Mums herself (Nina will tell you exactly how!), she feels in a good space with her mental health and that these experiences, difficult as they were have shaped her resilience and 'toolkit' of skills today. Listen and be inspired!
Please be aware this episode mentions themes which might be distressing to listeners such as addiction to drugs, alcohol and food
This week, Lorraine and Harriet dive deep into emotional behaviour and addictions. Lorraine shares how sometimes we compensate for our emotional needs using something else such as an addictive substance. Lorraine hit a rock bottom point just around her 40th birthday which she shares with the listeners and then what she discovered whilst she was there which has led her on to transform her life - literally from the inside out!
Listen and feel inspired!
Please be aware this episode contains themes which may be distressing for listeners. Please listen to the warning at the very start
During this episode, Allison (a pseudonym to protect her identity) takes us on a journey from life within an emotionally abusive relationship, the lowest points, how she began to make a plan to get out and what that bid for freedom was really like.
Listen to this real life triumph over adversity story and feel inspired!
Please be aware this episode contains themes which may be distressing for listeners. Please listen to the warning at the very start
During this episode, Danielle shares with us some of the devastating trauma and loss she has experienced. Harriet and Danielle consider the impacts on both her, her view of relationships and the community who were fundamental in her support network.
Danielle shares some of the incredible insights she has found along this journey and how redirecting the love has supported her to follow her intuition and lean into what feels good. Listen and feel inspired!
Please be aware this episode contains themes which may be distressing for listeners. Please listen to the warning at the very start
This week Harriet is joined by very special guest, Bethany to mark the start of Series 3. Bethany takes us back to a time which was incredibly difficult for her and explores her grief and experiences with Harriet. Bethany shares with us what were the most important tools which helped her to feel empowered and able to move forward with life after devastating loss.
Listen and feel inspired!
Please be aware this episode contains themes which may be distressing for listeners. Please listen to the warning at the very start
This week Sarah shares her incredible story. With Harriet, Sarah reflects on her childhood and how this created the backdrop for some of her mental health experiences.
Now living a life she loves, filled with passion for what she does and the people around her, Sarah shares with us some of the 'treasure' she discovered on this journey of healing.
Listen and be inspired!
This week Harriet and Ali explore some really difficult times in Ali's life where she's suffered from intense anxiety and intrusive thoughts. They look at some of Ali's biggest tools to support herself and the story behind whey she created her 'toolbox' in the first place.
Follow this amazing story from pain to purpose. It's not a straight line - it never is - but it sure is an inspirational story and there are so many great ideas for supporting your own mental health in here too. Listen and feel inspired!
Please be aware this episode explores difficult themes including verbal abuse and homophobia.
This week, Anthony bravely shares an extremely challenging time he had at work which really impacted on his mental health. We explore the concept of workplace gaslighting and the impact on self esteem and confidence.
Anthony and Harriet discuss how Anthony kept himself emotionally well and how he regained his confidence and processed what had happened after the event. Listen and feel uplifted!
Harriet is joined by Mel to explore the difficult times the Coronavirus pandemic has brought for her and what it is that's helped her through. What has life been like as an expat living abroad and depending on the Tourist trade for work?
Mel shares her insights about what has helped her stay in a positive headspace and why she has embraced the feelings when they aren't positive too. Listen and feel uplifted!
Please be aware this episode contains themes which may be distressing for listeners. Please listen to the warning at the very start
Kerry bravely shares her journey through a series of relationships which undermined her self worth through abuse and betrayal. Harriet and Kerry explore what hopelessness was like and how this has underpinned the work that Kerry does now.
Together, they explore what brought Kerry hope and ultimately helped her to gain freedom from the situations which were damaging her. Listen and be inspired!
This week Nicki courageously shares a time in her life when she felt hopeless and devastated due to the breakdown of her marriage. Together Harriet and Nicki explore, how much of our experiences come from our own expectations or unconscious beliefs and they both reflect on how life changing therapy training was for them.
Now happily married again, Nicki works as a Play and Creative Arts Therapist and knows she has found what she's meant to be doing. Listen to find out how she got there!
Please be aware this episode contains themes which may be distressing for listeners. Please listen to the warning at the very start
Kerry bravely shares her journey through a series of relationships which undermined her self worth through abuse and betrayal. Harriet and Kerry explore what hopelessness was like and how this has underpinned the work that Kerry does now.
Together, they explore what brought Kerry hope and ultimately helped her to gain freedom from the situations which were damaging her. Listen and be inspired!
Have you ever been afraid of your own anger? Have work and home pressures ever become impossible to manage? This week, Chris courageously shares one of his most vulnerable times with us and also how he managed and has managed during his life to keep himself emotionally safe during tough times.
We discuss some difficult lessons learnt and how true vulnerability only adds to the depth of genuine relationships. Chris shares with us his philosophies on men's mental health and the role of women within that. Listen and feel supported!
In this week's episode Harriet was joined by Jojo for an amazing conversation filled with Hope, joy and a lot of laughs. If you are looking for a light-hearted listen which is uplifting but doesn't skip the difficult things either, this is it!
Jo brings with her such a positive outlook and bravely shares her journey from Foster care to Business owner and beyond. Listen and feel uplifted!
This week we dive deep into self worth. Christine bravely shares her journey with us as we explore therapy, network marketing and the positive impact it can have on people's self esteem and honouring the journey we are on.
Christine and Harriet think about why it can sometimes be really hard to accept help - we have to be in a place to want it and feel worthy of receiving it which can sometimes be difficult to understand. Listen and honour your journey!
Jodie bravely shares her story of crippling anxiety with Harriet this week. She takes the listeners to a time when her mental health reached it's all time low and shares with us vulnerably what that was like.
Jodie's refreshing point of view is both disarming and welcoming as we venture into a space which was very unsettled but she is now much more peaceful about. It was a complete honour to be allowed to follow Jodie's journey of resilience and inspiration. A real treasure trove of wisdom and human capacity. Listen and feel uplifted!
In this second episode of a double bill to celebrate the launch of Series 2, Harriet and Emma dig in deep to entrepreneur mental health. Emma bravely shares her story from burnout and business failure to finding herself again and where this has led her to now. She shares her passions and her 'problem areas' and how these exact things have led her on to become the knowledgable expert she is today.
Emma's story is unique and brilliant but she is not the only failed business owner out there...so why is it so difficult to talk about? Why is the pressure so much on entrepreneurs? We discuss this and so many incredible breakthroughs in here so tune in!
In the first of this double bill to celebrate the launch of Series 2, Karishma joins Harriet to discuss her rather unique journey from struggling with depression, intense anxiety and 'purposelessness' to one where she helps others get out of those states using energy healing alongside other strategies.
Karishma brings so much passion and zest for life to this episode it really is clear that these days she is in a much happier space. Her energy is infectious as she discusses with Harriet some of the more 'taboo' subjects of religion and spirituality and their link to mental health. Want to know how she made the shifts? Then listen in!
Please be aware this episode contains themes which may be distressing for listeners. Please listen to the warning at the very start
This week Victoria shares her experiences of being in a relationship which included emotional and physical abuse. She bravely shares her story and the mental health experience which went alongside that.
Together Harriet and Victoria explore the darkest times, the easier times and what supported her the most in surviving and leaving the relationship and then also recovery afterwards. Listen and feel connected and inspired!
Please be aware this episode contains themes which may be distressing for listeners. Please listen to the warning at the very start
During this episode Laura bravely shares with us her journey through an extreme and debilitating physical health experience and the mental health journey that went on alongside that.
Together Harriet and Laura explore what happened in the darkest moments, when and how hope arrived and what supported Laura the most during this deeply traumatic time. Listen and feel inspired!
Please be aware this episode contains themes which may be distressing for listeners. Please listen to the warning at the very start
In this episode, Alan bravely shares with us his story of great loss through the death of his daughter, Rhiannon. Loss and grief can be extremely difficult to speak about yet Alan takes us with him on the journey from the losses during his daughters life to the darkest times which arrived later.
Despite facing what he describes as the worst possible thing a human could face, he has found life and hope as time has gone on. He shares a story of compassion, kindness, support for men's mental health and most importantly Hope. Thank you Alan!
Please be aware this episode contains themes which may be distressing for listeners. Please listen to the warning at the very start
During this episode Sara bravely shares with us her experiences of being really unwell after giving birth to her daughter. She shares the moments which were most hopeless and the fear of the unknown which can often show up during our darkest times.
Sara's story of her recovery is really inspiring and her deepest challenges have really become her purpose in supporting others. Listen and feel inspired, motivated and hopeful!
During this episode Harriet and Sarah explore what can happen when we 'put a lid' on our feelings or push them down in some way. Sarah shares her experience of how doing just that caused her to reach crisis point. Harriet and Sarah reflect on what it's like being a mental health professional and the pressure that sometimes puts on us to 'have it all together'.
Sarah shares a different narrative about mental health support and lets us in on the secrets which initially got her out of her depression and have now become her signature support style in helping others.
Listen and feel nourished, uplifted and compassionate!
During this episode Harriet and Rachel explore what happens to our feelings when we 'burn out' from taking on too much and not meeting our own needs, how we can 'feed' our mental wellbeing and why sometimes what is needed is a complete reset.
Rachel shares her own story of being 'tired & wired', fighting for a reality that she realised she just didn't want anymore and then what...? This is a story of connection with self, recovery, inspiration and hope!
During this episode Harriet and Marie explore a huge range of things from travelling, therapy and new learning to Human Design and how each of these subjects gave Marie things which she didn't know she was looking for until she found it.
Often when things don't feel right we can feel a little lost. It can be difficult to put our finger on what exactly needs to change. This inspiring journey of self exploration shows us just how much we can learn if we just begin!
During this episode Kerrie shares her experiences of feeling hopeless after emotional burnout, what helped her to feel better and how she uses that now to help other people. Kerrie and Harriet talk about bringing together old skills and new learning to carve out a new, happier, calmer path. Creativity was the unexpected lifeline for Kerrie, but how? Tune in to find out.
Kerrie's story is one of courage, creativity, recovery and hope. Listen and feel inspired!
During this episode Harriet and Julia explore a huge range of things from wealth consciousness, energy and how we are affected by those around us to Feng Shui and goal setting.
Julia shares her amazing story and how opening her mind up to what is possible and thinking positively changed her life beyond recognition. Tune in for a podcast packed with positivity and tangible steps to try on for yourself!
Please be aware this episode contains themes which may be distressing for listeners. Please listen to the warning at the very start
In Emma, Harriet has found her Hope buddy! Someone who is just as excited about Hope as she is. During this episode Emma shares her experiences of being mentally unwell, the challenges of that and her recovery process. She dips into what helped and what was essential - I wonder if you can guess? Listen in to find out!
Emmas's story is a story of loss, self compassion, recovery and hope. Listen and feel hopeful!
Please be aware this episode contains themes which may be distressing for listeners. Please listen to the warning at the very start
It has been a complete honour to have Charla as Harriet's first guest. During the episode Harriet and Charla explore what hopelessness looked like for Charla, how bad it got before things began to change and why, where the first tiny pieces of hope came from and how she followed this to create much, much more.
Charla's story is a story of love, loss, hope and utter inspiration. Listen and be uplifted!
In this first episode, Harriet introduces you to her own story and Dawn Breaks. Harriet is a mental health professional and in October 2019 she experienced her own personal crisis which she talks about here. During that time she found herself hopeless, numb and needing inspiration. Dawn Breaks is that inspiration.
At a time when the world is going through it's own health crisis and so many people are desperate for hope, Harriet hopes that this podcast will support many others going forward.
And why 'Dawn Breaks'? You'll have to listen to find out...