Clara Amfo: “I’m afraid of being bored!” How to take your holiday hobbies seriously

Are you obsessed with finding the best books – yes, multiple – to read on holiday? Broadcaster Sara Cox is! Welcome to The Happy Place Guide To Holidays! In this chat – brought to you by British Airways Holidays – Fearne and Sara share their thoughts on how to take your holiday reading more seriously. They natter about the joy of reading a novel set in the country you’re holidaying in, and whether the vivid descriptions of a location have inspired them to travel there themselves. They also swap their own experiences of writing books, and reveal the beautiful locations that have informed elements of their own novels. Plus, Sara explains why she’s trying to stop writing about characters who are useless and dysfunctional in her books, and why she’s re-living her party-girl days... You can find a list of all of Fearne and Sara’s recommended reads below! British Airways Holidays are ATOL protected, offer a 24hr holiday helpline, and allow you to book with a low deposit. All holidays include a generous baggage allowance per person. Go to Ba.com/holidays to find out more. Fearne and Sara’s reading list: Remarkably Bright Creatures – Shelby Van Pelt Girls – Kirsty Capes Memoirs of a Geisha – Arthur Golden Butter – Asako Yuzuki The Convenience Store Woman – Sayaka Murata The Island – Victoria Hislop Daisy Jones And The Six – Taylor Jenkins Reid The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo – Taylor Jenkins Reid Carrie Soto Is Back – Taylor Jenkins Reid Girl On A Train – Paula Hawkins The Compound – Aisling Rawle Ma’am Darling – Craig Brown Lady In Waiting – Anne Glenconner Chocolat – Joanne Harris The Thousand Lights Hotel - Emylia Hall Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Getting lost in anxiety, shame, or self-loathing? Spiritual leader Gabby Bernstein wants you to acknowledge all the messy parts of your true character. Spoiler: you’re not going suddenly to like yourself overnight, but acknowledging the uncomfortable bits will get you there sooner! In this chat with Fearne, Gabby explains how ‘protector parts’ like perfectionism, people pleasing, and numbing out can spiral into extreme self-soothing behaviours like drug or porn addiction if they’re not dealt with. Fearne and Gabby chat about anxiety as a protection mechanism, exploring why being focused on the heart palpitations and hyper-vigilance is stopping you dealing with your deeper wounds. Plus, Fearne notices that her OCD is back so Gabby takes a moment to help her check in with her current stress levels – you can follow along with this exercise too! Gabby’s latest book, Self-Help, is out now. If you liked this episode of Happy Place, you might also like:   Mel Robbins Natalie Lue Tell Self-Limiting Beliefs To Bugger Off Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Do you love a true crime scam documentary? Our latest Happy Place Book Club read is for you! Iconic author Lisa Jewell has written Don’t Let Him In, a thriller about a perfect man... who’s a fraudulent liar. In this chat with Fearne, live from The Happy Place Festival, Lisa explains how she got into the mind of a psychopath despite being a very honest person herself. They explore how people fall for charming romance scammers, and how Lisa has become a relentlessly happy person. Plus, Lisa’s written 24 novels but has given up on trying to be a ‘professional’ kind of person – she explains how to sod the rules and build confidence in your own process. If you’re new to Happy Place Book Club episodes, don’t worry, there are no spoilers here! If you want to join the Book Club, we’re on Instagram @happyplacebookclub, and Book Club episodes are released the first Friday of every month! Thank you to Penguin Audio for the use of Don't Let Him In audiobook, narrated by Richard Armitage, Joanna Froggatt, Louise Brealey, Gemma Whelan and Tamryn Payne. If you liked this episode of Happy Place, you might also like:   Book Club Meets: Emily Henry   Book Club Meets: Lorna Tucker   Book Club Meets: Clare Leslie Hall   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are you living the life you want to live? Broadcaster Davina McCall’s recent health scare has shown her the importance of living boldly, with no regrets. In this chat, live from The Happy Place Festival, best pals Fearne and Davina share how having tumours removed within a few months of each other brought them closer together. Davina explains how you can turn fear into joy through mindset changes, and how to apologise so you’re not carrying the weight of guilt anymore. She also reflects on how being in Narcotics Anonymous finally enabled her to like herself, warts and all. If you liked this episode of Happy Place, you might also like:   Mel Robbins Trinny Woodall Dannii Minogue Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s ok to make mistakes! Comedian Harriet Kemsley says her dyspraxia meant she learnt very early on not to take herself too seriously. In this chat with Fearne, live from The Happy Place Festival, Harriet explains how to get through the cringe part where you’re really rubbish at something new, and why it builds resilience for all parts of your life. Harriet also chats about the chaos that comes with co-parenting and dating after divorce, and has the final word on that eye-roll stereotype that men don’t like funny women... If you liked this episode of Happy Place, you might also like:   Florence Given   Joanne McNally   Joel Dommett        Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.