Episoder

  • Well, here we are. Emma is firmly in denial and Elizabeth is busy looking for silver linings because this week's episode of Best Friend Therapy is our LAST ONE EVER. Probably.

    We have loved every minute of these last two years, as we've curated this collection of conversations to share with you, our wonderful listeners.

    Thank you so much for having us and we hope you'll join us for one last look back, at the journey we've been on together...

    We talk about our favourite episodes and look back on some of the memorable moments that made us laugh and cry. We'd love to hear from you about your favourite episodes and what you'll take away from this series and, remember, the back catalogue is there for you whenever you want to dip in and hear some words of comfort and support, or just enjoy hearing us lose it over that pesky rustle in the bush.

    Elizabeth shares her heartfelt thanks for the space you've given to her feelings on fertility and Emma will forever be grateful for the confidence she's gained to speak her truth more widely.


    Finally, know that we see you. We hear you. We understand you.
    And you are not alone. You will always be welcome here.

    Oh, and watch this space for what comes next...

    Love Elizabeth and Emma xx

    ---

    We are so looking forward to seeing some of you IRL at our live finale show on Thursday 4th April, at the Bloomsbury Theatre in London! And if you couldn't get a ticket, or you just fancy watching from the comfort of your own sofa, you can now join us via livestream. Book a ticket to watch live, or on demand for a week after the event, here: https://www.fane.co.uk/best-friend-therapy

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    Best Friend Therapy is hosted by Elizabeth Day and Emma Reed Turrell, produced by Chris Sharp.

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    Social Media:

    Elizabeth Day @elizabday

    Emma Reed Turrell @emmareedturrell

    Best Friend Therapy @best.friend.therapy

    Email: [email protected]


  • We begin this episode with the announcement that this... sniff... will be... sniff... our last season of Best Friend Therapy but DON'T PANIC because there are good reasons which we'll go into and plenty of exciting new projects in the pipeline!

    Which also means there's no time to lose and so this week we take a deep dive into the work Emma has been developing around her unique model of "blind spot therapy", and which she's sharing with us all in her upcoming book, What Am I Missing?

    If you have ever wondered why you end up repeating patterns of unhealthly behaviour, in the wrong relationships, caught up in conflict in your family or held back at work, you might be acting out of a blind spot - an area of low or no awareness that means you can't see things clearly and end up tripping over the same obstacles in life.

    Emma has developed a brand new psychological theory to translate ideas of unconscious bias, learned behaviours and cultural conditioning into four clear and relatable blind spot profiles:

    Listen along this week and find out whether you might be:

    THE GLADIATOR, determined but missing trust
    THE BRIDGE, easy-going but missing authenticity
    THE HUSTLER, charming but missing self-worth
    Or THE ROCK, resilient but missing boundaries

    Elizabeth explores how being a Bridge/Hustler, or a "Bristle" as we affectionately like to call her, has affected her in the past and Emma explains how her inner Rock led her to become a therapist.

    Published by Penguin on 4th April, What Am I Missing? will teach you how to overcome the blind spots that are holding you back and explain why, when they said "what you don't know won't hurt you", they couldn't have been more wrong!

    ---

    EXCLUSIVE PRE-ORDER OFFER: You can get £5 off your copy of What Am I Missing? if you pre-order online at Waterstones and use the code WHATAMIMISSING before the 4th April. https://www.waterstones.com/book/what-am-i-missing/emma-reed-turrell/9780241624982

    And if you do pre-order a hardback, audiobook or e-book edition from any UK retailer, you can also enter a competition to win an online 1:1 Blind Spot Therapy Session with Emma! Just visit https://penguinrandomhouse.eu.research.net/r/WhatAmIMissingComp to enter your details.

    Malcolm Gladwell talks about the "10,000-Hour Rule", in his book Outliers, it's an excellent take on what makes us successful: https://amzn.eu/d/2Or36uE


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    Best Friend Therapy is hosted by Elizabeth Day and Emma Reed Turrell, produced by Chris Sharp.

    ---

    Social Media:

    Elizabeth Day @elizabday

    Emma Reed Turrell @emmareedturrell

    Best Friend Therapy @best.friend.therapy

    Email: [email protected]

  • Manglende episoder?

    Klik her for at forny feed.

  • Welcome back to Best Friend Therapy and this season’s opportunity for Emma to therapise our beloved guinea pig, Elizabeth Day, whilst offering some psycho-education for us all about the Transactional Analysis concept of the “Drama Triangle” - why and how we end up repeating conflict in relationships (be they personal or professional) and what we can do to change it.

    The Drama Triangle was developed by Stephen Karpman in the 1960’s and tells us about three unhealthy roles we take on in drama - the Rescuer, the Persecutor, the Victim.

    Elizabeth talks about a time she adopted the role of Rescuer as a way of defending her Victim and she recognises the futile task of trying to solve someone’s problems when they are not yet ready to change. She also tells us about the guilt she feels when she fails the other person and we uncover the unconscious motivations that are keeping her stuck.

    Listen along with an example of your own and ask yourself:

    If you’re the Rescuer, what are your feelings and needs?

    If you’re the Persecutor, what can’t you tolerate really?

    If you’re the Victim, what are your options to take back control?

    Emma explains and gives examples of how to channel more productive, constructive Adult communication using Acey Choy’s “Winners Triangle”, to remove the conflict and get closer to the results you want.

    ---

    The original reference for the Drama Triangle is: Karpman MD, Stephen (1968). "Fairy tales and script drama analysis". Transactional Analysis Bulletin. 26 (7): 39–43. https://www.karpmandramatriangle.com/pdf/DramaTriangle.pdf

    Choy, Acey (1990). The Winner's Triangle Transactional Analysis Journal 20(1):40 https://www.scribd.com/document/577707612/Winner-s-Triangle

    And this brilliant book by Ian Stewart and Vann Joines is a great introduction to all things TA, including Eric Berne’s work on Games: https://amzn.eu/d/eZEkUmD

    ---

    Best Friend Therapy is hosted by Elizabeth Day and Emma Reed Turrell, produced by Chris Sharp.

    ---

    Social Media:

    Elizabeth Day @elizabday

    Emma Reed Turrell @emmareedturrell

    Best Friend Therapy @best.friend.therapy

    Email: [email protected]




  • What is introversion and extroversion anyway?

    This week we’re drawing on the ideas of Carl Jung, and the Big Five personality traits, to help us understand why some people get their energy from being around other people, and others prefer to recharge their batteries on their own.

    Emma challenges the idea that it’s simply a matter of personality, and wonders whether we develop these behaviours as an adaptation to societal pressures, and Elizabeth explains why, as an introvert, she prefers a voice note to a phone call.

    We chat about the impact of social media and the pandemic, cross-cultural influences and, most importantly, whether you’re a bath or a shower person.

    ---

    Carl Jung on psychological types: Jung, C. G. [1921] 1971. Psychological Types, Collected Works of C.G. Jung, vol. 6. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

    More on the Big Five personality traits: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Five_personality_traits

    ---

    Best Friend Therapy is hosted by Elizabeth Day and Emma Reed Turrell, produced by Chris Sharp.

    ---
    Social Media:

    Elizabeth Day @elizabday

    Emma Reed Turrell @emmareedturrell

    Best Friend Therapy @best.friend.therapy

    Email: [email protected]

  • This week on Best Friend Therapy, we tackle the thorny issue of comparison - how it gets in our way, what its true function is and how it can actually direct us to feel happier and more fulfilled.

    From Reese Witherspoon to Richard II, we cover themes of unconditional acceptance and safety, via the rise of social media and the Peasants Revolt (bear with us, ED is ever the historian).

    Emma teaches us the difference between jealousy and envy and Elizabeth tells us how gratitude is her antidote to comparison (and why ex’s are no longer up for discussion).

    —-

    Emma does the show notes and gave up history as a subject as quickly as possible, so if you’re looking for references on Richard II and the Peasants Revolt, you’re on your own.

    Naomi Klein’s book, however, is available here: Doppelganger: A Trip Into the Mirror World https://amzn.eu/d/gCFeiar

    ---

    Best Friend Therapy is hosted by Elizabeth Day and Emma Reed Turrell, produced by Chris Sharp.

    ---

    Social Media:

    Elizabeth Day @elizabday

    Emma Reed Turrell @emmareedturrell

    Best Friend Therapy @best.friend.therapy

    Email: [email protected]

  • Welcome to this week's episode of Best Friend Therapy - the one where we ask the tough questions...

    * What's the difference between emotional detachment and emotional unavailability?
    * Why can needs get confused with neediness?
    * How do sympathy and empathy serve different purposes?

    We explore how emotional detachment can actually help us to develop greater empathy and deepen authentic relationships, with others and ourselves. And we explain what happens when we don’t detach - how we can lose objectivity and fall foul of merging with others, enmeshing our experiences, projecting our beliefs and outsourcing our authentic needs...

    Emma explains why she used to work for brownie points and Elizabeth gets interested in the inner psyche of the teenage girl.


    ---

    Not for the first time we reference the Love Languages work of Gary Chapman: https://amzn.eu/d/68aAaOc

    ---

    🚨 BIG NEWS 🚨

    Not only are we back for a seventh season, but Elizabeth and Emma will be hosting a LIVE SHOW for the very first time! Book your tickets and join us live at the Bloomsbury Theatre on Thursday 4th April. We can’t wait to see your gorgeous faces IRL! 🎟️ fane.co.uk/best-friend-therapy

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    Best Friend Therapy is hosted by Elizabeth Day and Emma Reed Turrell, produced by Chris Sharp.

    ---

    Social Media:

    Elizabeth Day @elizabday

    Emma Reed Turrell @emmareedturrell

    Best Friend Therapy @best.friend.therapy

    Email: [email protected]

  • 🚨 BIG NEWS 🚨

    Not only are we back for a brand new season, but Elizabeth and Emma will be hosting a LIVE SHOW for the very first time! Book your tickets and join us live at the Bloomsbury Theatre on Thursday 4th April. We can’t wait to see your gorgeous faces IRL! 🎟️ fane.co.uk/best-friend-therapy

    ---

    TW: Miscarriage

    Welcome back to our seventh season of Best Friend Therapy and we begin with a update, for all those of you who have listened to or read Elizabeth's experiences on her fertility journey and who have reached out with care and concern.

    Elizabeth generously shares with us where she's been, where she is now, and what life looks like when you are childfree, not by choice. She shares her frustrations with the language and reactions of some, celebrates the kindness of many and describes the grief she has lived through, to reach a place of peace and renewed purpose.

    Emma explains why grief can be like a game of Snakes & Ladders and reminds us that, in a world where we are encouraged to hold on, it's often the letting go that will require most courage.

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    Best Friend Therapy is hosted by Elizabeth Day and Emma Reed Turrell, produced by Chris Sharp.

    ---

    Social Media:

    Elizabeth Day @elizabday

    Emma Reed Turrell @emmareedturrell

    Best Friend Therapy @best.friend.therapy

    Email: [email protected]

  • TW: Discussion on miscarriage.

    Welcome to this week's episode of Best Friend Therapy - the fourth instalment of our miniseries on break-ups and the final episode of Season 6!

    As we have been exploring different break-ups, whether it be a romantic relationship, the ending of a friendship, family estrangement or career change, we realised there is one feeling that connects them all - the feeling of rejection. So we are dedicating this final episode to unpacking this feeling - to better understand why it hurts and what we can do to help ourselves.

    It may be the season finale but it's most definitely not a rejection, merely a time for reflection, and we look to the work of Alain de Botton to teach us about constructive pessimism and remind ourselves of Eckhart Tolle's wise words in "The Power of Now." We also look to the great philosopher, Elizabeth Day, and hear what the glockenspiel had to teach her about rejection and why she took up the trumpet instead.

    Emma introduces the Transactional Anaylysis theory of the "hot potato" and walks Elizabeth down her Staircase of Beliefs, to find the fear behind the rejection, and explains why the antidote to rejection is self-acceptance and a Joy List.

    See you very soon for Season 7 and thanks, as always, for listening xx

    ---

    Alain de Botton talks about "constructive pessimism": https://youtu.be/Aw1oLtuJOXQ?si=6BswjGNwxPWlxc6G

    Eckhart Tolle, "The Power of Now": https://amzn.eu/d/g0Oh6mo

    On the Hot Potato Theory and Episcript, p.124: https://www.fanita-english.com/wp-content/uploads/pdf/Berne,%20phobia,%20episcripts%20and%20racketeering.pdf

    ---

    Best Friend Therapy is hosted by Elizabeth Day and Emma Reed Turrell, produced by Chris Sharp.

    ---

    Social Media:

    Elizabeth Day @elizabday

    Emma Reed Turrell @emmareedturrell

    Best Friend Therapy @best.friend.therapy

    Email: [email protected]

  • Welcome to this week's episode of Best Friend Therapy, and the penultimate instalment of our miniseries on break-ups.

    So far we have been focusing on personal relationships but today it’s time to take a look at professional break-ups - from being fired or made redundant, to feeling left behind or breaking up with a previous profession.

    We talk about why people-pleasing and work don’t mix, and why healthy work contracts have to be reciprocal (just like those family contracts that we discussed last week).

    Emma offers some advice on how to improve work dynamics when it's not practical to break up, and Elizabeth explains why the language of redundancy is so unhelpful.

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    Best Friend Therapy is hosted by Elizabeth Day and Emma Reed Turrell, produced by Chris Sharp.

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    Social Media:

    Elizabeth Day @elizabday

    Emma Reed Turrell @emmareedturrell

    Best Friend Therapy @best.friend.therapy

  • Welcome back to our break-ups miniseries, and this week we're looking at the thorny issue of how to end, change or evolve a relationship with friends and family.

    We talk about why remaining friends is not always as kind as we might think and why being authentic and accountable might actually be more generous.

    Emma talks about non-verbal boundaries and how to reset realities for everyone's benefit, and Elizabeth describes what it feels like to be ghosted by a friend and what it looks like to grow apart.

    We chat about the reciprocity of family relationships, how they need to work for everyone, why we need to challenge the taboo of family being fixed, the danger of toxic gratitude and how it can be healthier to recategorise certain family relationships.

    We'll be back next week to look at break-ups of the professional variety!

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    Best Friend Therapy is hosted by Elizabeth Day and Emma Reed Turrell, produced by Chris Sharp.

    ---

    Social Media:

    Elizabeth Day @elizabday

    Emma Reed Turrell @emmareedturrell

    Best Friend Therapy @best.friend.therapy

  • In a first for Best Friend Therapy, we bring you a four-part MINISERIES, all about break-ups.

    We'd be lying if we said it was intentional but we quickly realised there was far too much to say about romatic break-ups, let along friendship break-ups, family break-ups and work break-ups, to get through in a single episode.

    So this week's episode is dedicated to heartbreak of the romantic variety... When we break-up with a partner, we often feel a form of grief - not only for the relationship, but also the future we may have planned, and for a past version of ourself. It's a triple whammy.

    We talk about the difference between being dumped and doing the dumping, how to break up well (if there is such a thing) and why break-up through divorce is hard, but break-up after divorce can be even harder.

    Emma explains why romantic break-ups can reinforce core beliefs and re-enact past attachment trauma and Elizabeth directs us to the ever-guiding light that is Taylor Swift.

    Join us again next week when we'll be turning our attention to friendship break-ups.

    ---

    If you want to hear us talk more about grief, you can tune into our previous episode: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/best-friend-therapy/id1614793299?i=1000601683198

    Emma talks about the grief cycle, developed by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross and made famous in her book, "On Death and Dying", in 1969.

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    Best Friend Therapy is hosted by Elizabeth Day and Emma Reed Turrell, produced by Chris Sharp.

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    Social Media:

    Elizabeth Day @elizabday

    Emma Reed Turrell @emmareedturrell

    Best Friend Therapy @best.friend.therapy

  • This week, we’re talking about burnout and that particular kind of emotional exhaustion that can knock us off our feet and leave us feeling utterly depleted.

    Emma and Elizabeth both share their own personal stories of burnout and explore what they learned from their experiences.

    Emma talks about the work she does with organisations to prevent burnout in the first place and how to balance individual responsibility with a workplace culture that rewards healthy behaviour. And Elizabeth brings in the work of psychiatrist and author, Gabor Maté, who believes the physical symptoms of burnout to be manifestations of psychological stress.

    We talk about how to recognise symptoms of burnout, how to treat it and, most importantly, how to understand what it was trying to tell you in the first place.

    ---

    Listen to Elizabeth’s conversation with Gabor Maté on How to Fail: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/how-to-fail-with-elizabeth-day/id1407451189?i=1000624455746

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    Best Friend Therapy is hosted by Elizabeth Day and Emma Reed Turrell, produced by Chris Sharp.

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    Social Media:

    Elizabeth Day @elizabday

    Emma Reed Turrell @emmareedturrell

    Best Friend Therapy @best.friend.therapy

  • This week, Elizabeth shares a challenging work scenario, in which she found herself at the pointy end of someone else's ego.

    We go back and look at the original meaning of ego through the eyes of Freud, with an overview of his theory of three-part personality, to build an understanding of how egotistical behaviour, narcissism and power-play intersect, and what we can do when we come up against “big egos” in our daily lives.

    We wrestle with a tug of war between our instincts and morality and find our balance on a seesaw, which concludes that it’s good to talk and, if talking about feelings makes us less acceptable to some, we’re here for it.

    ---

    For more on Freud’s three-part psyche: https://www.simplypsychology.org/psyche.html

    Emma references the work of Dr Christine Dunkley and her work on Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT): https://amzn.eu/d/9yLqPUU

    Elizabeth talks about Jung’s Collective Unconsciousness and Emma expands with group imago theory which you can read more about here: https://amzn.eu/d/eLujeLP and https://www.awesomebooks.com/book/9780285647763/transactional-analysis-in-psychotherapy

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    Best Friend Therapy is hosted by Elizabeth Day and Emma Reed Turrell, produced by Chris Sharp.

    ---

    Social Media:

    Elizabeth Day @elizabday

    Emma Reed Turrell @emmareedturrell

    Best Friend Therapy @best.friend.therapy

  • This week we’re looking at the theme of Responsibility, how we feel about it, and how its meaning might change for us over time.

    Whether it begins with a badge on our blazers or a ticket to teenage independence, being given responsibility might not always be such a gift, when it later brings with it the added pressures of work, or the task of emotionally regulating the people we live alongside.

    We suggest that it might be wiser to take responsibility in our lives, rather than be given it, and for our sense of duty to deliver on the values that lie within ourselves, rather than be employed to meet the needs of others.

    We talk about the dangers of outsourcing responsibility to others and how gaslighting and toxic relationships can get set up, and we discuss the impact of an outdated and patriarchal sense of responsibility for others, when all we can ever usefully offer is a sense of responsibility to the people we care about.

    ---

    Elizabeth references the Changes podcast, hosted by Annie Macmanus, in which she interviews Zadie Smith: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/zadie-smith/id1465937091?i=1000626637952

    And she generously crowbars in a reference to Emma’s new book, called “What Am I Missing: The Four Blind Spots that are Holding You Back, and How to Overcome Them” - out in April 2024 and available to pre-order now: https://amzn.eu/d/6yuHeXV

    Oh, and she also takes us back to Aristotle, because she’s a historian at heart.

    Emma shares her most wholesome of weekends and, should you find yourself in Hampshire and keen to become more “manipulate”, you too can check out the wonderful workshops hosted by @alicecrowe_ceramics, @nicepearceramics and @rushmerefarm.

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    Best Friend Therapy is hosted by Elizabeth Day and Emma Reed Turrell, produced by Chris Sharp.

    ---

    Social Media:

    Elizabeth Day @elizabday

    Emma Reed Turrell @emmareedturrell

    Best Friend Therapy @best.friend.therapy

  • We’re back with Season 6 of Best Friend Therapy and we are overjoyed to be in your ears again!
    In fact we're feeling so damn positive about life right now, we thought we'd kick off with a conversation about whether positivity can ever be negative... or even toxic?


    There’s nothing wrong with looking on the bright side of life, or tackling challenges with optimism and a positive mental attitude. But we wonder whether there is a role for taking our time to get there in certain situations, to feel heard first (by ourselves and others) and to feel validated in the truth of what is, even when it’s not as we would wish. And whether we can trip ourselves up with the pressures to be positive and feel like we’re failing, when really what we’re acknowledging is the complicated, nuanced, conflicted reality of life. To quote our very own Elizabeth Day, “life is texture” and striving to be overly positive, at the cost of authenticity, can make us more fearful of the darker feelings that are an inevitable part of the human condition.

    Elizabeth introduces us to the view of Zadie Smith that tells us our pain can run in parallel to others’ experiences and Emma questions whether this season of Married at First Sight sees its participants setting themselves up to fail with their "good vibes only". Never let it be said that we don’t draw on a diverse range of sources in our research for BFT.

    We hope our conversation puts a smile on your face but, if it doesn't, cheer up, it might never happen!

    ---

    Elizabeth quotes Zadie Smith's "Intimations": https://www.waterstones.com/book/intimations/zadie-smith/9780241492383

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    Best Friend Therapy is hosted by Elizabeth Day and Emma Reed Turrell, produced by Chris Sharp.

    ---

    Social Media:

    Elizabeth Day @elizabday

    Emma Reed Turrell @emmareedturrell

    Best Friend Therapy @best.friend.therapy

  • It's that time again, it's our season finale!

    And this week on Best Friend Therapy, we thought it fitting to send you into the break with an episode all about uncertain times.

    We explore how cultural events such as the pandemic, the cost of living crisis and economic uncertainty can manifest in anxiety, and we also examine the potential for growth and change therein.

    We suggest that certainty might not be the only antidote to uncertainty, if we can find other ways to settle and soothe our nervous systems.

    Emma helps us recognise the difference between dread and excitement and Elizabeth explains why she's always nice to Siri.

    ---

    Elizabeth talks about ClearScore and you can find out more about how they can help at: https://www.clearscore.com

    Emma references the research of Elizabeth Kubler-Ross and you can read more about her life and work at: https://www.ekrfoundation.org/elisabeth-kubler-ross/

    If you're struggling with uncertainty, below are some services that might be able to help:

    Mind: https://www.mind.org.uk/need-urgent-help/using-this-tool/
    Samaritans: https://www.samaritans.org
    Citizens Advice Bureau: https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk

    ---

    Best Friend Therapy is hosted by Elizabeth Day and Emma Reed Turrell, produced by Chris Sharp.

    ---

    Social Media:

    Elizabeth Day @elizabday

    Emma Reed Turrell @emmareedturrell

    Best Friend Therapy @best.friend.therapy

  • Join us for this season's live therapy experience, with our glamorous assistant/guinea pig, Elizabeth Day!

    This week, Emma blends techniques from Neuro Linguistic Programming and timeline therapy to guide Elizabeth back through some significant experiences, in order to identify an unmet need or missing piece that might still hold her back today.

    You'll hear a guided visualisation that reframes past experiences in a way that can heal past hurt, and shows you what to look for in future.

    Listen along to Elizabeth's journey or try it for yourself, and let us know what you learn along the way!

    ---

    The original Time Line Therapy is a NLP based technique, developed by Master NLP and Hypnosis Trainer, Tad James: https://www.nlpcoaching.com/tad-james-m-s-ph-d-transformational-leader/

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    Best Friend Therapy is hosted by Elizabeth Day and Emma Reed Turrell, produced by Chris Sharp.

    ---

    Social Media:

    Elizabeth Day @elizabday

    Emma Reed Turrell @emmareedturrell

    Best Friend Therapy @best.friend.therapy

  • This week we are talking about how we can tune in to our 'inner child'. Or, at least, we're attempting to because Elizabeth has so far found her inner child to be quite elusive and the prospect of dancing on the beach to be a bit cringe.

    We come to the conclusion that inner child work might actually be about learning to trust our intuition and accept our wants and needs exactly as they are, with no judgment, and to give ourselves permission to play in whichever way we find comfortable - even if that looks like a Hippo bag for Emma and a dose of reality TV (rather than a skip along the sand) for Elizabeth.

    Inner child work helps us to identify how we feel and what we need, so that we can 'reparent' ourselves as grown-ups, and releases us from the idea that there is a right and wrong way to feel freedom and joy.

    What is your idea of fun? How do you like to play? Are you paying attention to the wisdom of your inner child?

    ---

    Emma references Lucia Capacchione's book "Recovery of Your Inner Child: The Highly Acclaimed Method for Liberating Your Inner Self" https://amzn.eu/d/5S6v9Er

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    Best Friend Therapy is hosted by Elizabeth Day and Emma Reed Turrell, produced by Chris Sharp.

    ---

    Social Media:

    Elizabeth Day @elizabday

    Emma Reed Turrell @emmareedturrell

    Best Friend Therapy @best.friend.therapy

  • TW; discussions around suicide.

    This week we are talking about gaslighting, where the term originates from and how it has helped us name a particular type of coercive control.

    We also talk about how it has been more recently adopted in casual conversation and how therapy talk doesn't always serve us when it’s overused or taken out of context.

    As always, our insights are informed by popular culture - namely the Archers, Jury Duty and Married at First Sight Australia (we’re talking to you, Harrison).

    We cover gaslighting as it appears in romantic relationships, but also how it can show up in friendships, family dynamics and broader society.

    Emma takes us through a Transactional Analysis theory known as Escape Hatches and Elizabeth shares her experience of being on the receiving end of gaslighting, to help us understand what to look out for and how to own our truth.

    ---

    For anyone interested in escape hatch theory, here is a clip from two legends of TA, Ian Stewart and Adrienne Lee, discussing how to decide on life: https://youtu.be/FaKxr5Lfkv4

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    Best Friend Therapy is hosted by Elizabeth Day and Emma Reed Turrell, produced by Chris Sharp.

    ---

    Social Media:

    Elizabeth Day @elizabday

    Emma Reed Turrell @emmareedturrell

    Best Friend Therapy @best.friend.therapy

  • This week on Best Friend Therapy, we are reflecting on regret.

    As usual, we strive to keep our conversation authentic, which is why you’ll hear us singing along with Edith Piaf, receiving deliveries from the postman, battling with flies and playing a quick round of Just a Minute… NONE of which we regret because we come to the conclusion that regret really means mourning a life un-lived and, well, we’ll all have plenty of those.

    We also have the life we are living right now and we reckon this is the one to be present and intentional about. So here is our unfiltered, imperfect, present and intentional take on the tricky feeling of regret.

    We go deep and reflect on those end of life regrets and what it means to say goodbye, and we resolve, once and for all, whether it’s acceptable to go to bed on an argument.

    So here’s to cutting yourself some slack for not knowing what you didn’t know, and getting on with the act of the everyday.

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    You can read more about the work of Bronnie Ware and her book, "The Top Five Regrets of the Dying: A Life Transformed by the Dearly Departing" at bronnieware.com.

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    Best Friend Therapy is hosted by Elizabeth Day and Emma Reed Turrell, produced by Chris Sharp.

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    Social Media:

    Elizabeth Day @elizabday

    Emma Reed Turrell @emmareedturrell

    Best Friend Therapy @best.friend.therapy