Kirsty Gallagher

Sociopathy should be understood as a spectrum disorder. It’s a disorder that affects roughly 5% of the population – similar to the number of people who have depression or anxiety. Patric Gagne is a sociopath.   In this chat with Fearne, Patric explains the difference between a psychopath and a sociopath. Sociopaths have access to inherent emotions like sadness and happiness, but struggle with learned social emotions like remorse, guilt, empathy, and love. There’s also a huge feeling of apathy for Patric, which in the past led her to anti-social behaviours like stealing cars and breaking into houses.   Fearne also points out the benefits of not caring what others think of you; while she people pleases a lot, she can see the freedom in having a lack of a filter. They chat about how to function in a relationship when you have to communicate any kind of mental disorder or illness too.   Patric’s memoir, Sociopath, is this month’s Happy Place Book Club read. Come and be part of the Book Club discussions on Instagram @happyplacebookclub.   Sociopath is out now.   Listen to Book Club Meets: Jo Cheetham   Listen to Book Club Meets: Jennie Godfrey Thanks to Bluebird (an imprint of Pan Macmillan) for the Sociopath audiobook extract. TAKE PART IN OUR HAPPY PLACE SURVEY HERE: http://bit.ly/happyplacesurvey2024   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nobody’s worse off than you; everyone just experiences things differently. This is what 27 year old Ashleigh has come to understand about her own trauma. Previously, she minimised her own experiences, thinking it can’t be that bad, but learnt that until she acknowledged her own pain she couldn’t move forward.   In this chat with Fearne, Ashleigh explains how PTSD led her to develop facial tics and a stammer, isolating her personally and professionally. They talk about how to cope when those around you don’t understand what you’re going through, plus, how the Prince’s Trust have given her game-changing support to start her own business helping others with mental health struggles.   Fearne is a Goodwill Ambassador for Mental Health and Wellbeing for The Prince’s Trust. They help support young people aged 11-30, and believe that every single young person should have the chance to succeed, no matter their background, or their personal challenges. They offer support into education, training, and jobs; that’s exactly what they did for Ashleigh.   As well as catching up on Ashleigh’s progress, Fearne has a very special surprise for her at the end of the episode... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How’s your mental health doing today? Do you ever wish people understood what was actually going on in your mind?   As part of Mental Health Awareness Week, Fearne looks back at some of the conversations she’s had on Happy Place that shine a light on particular mental health conditions.   There’s OCD with Tuppence Middleton, cyclothymia with Matt Edmondson, and psychosis with David Harewood. Plus, neuroscientist TJ Power chats about how to increase serotonin levels, and sleep physiologist Stephanie Romiszewski talks through how to combat insomnia.   Hopefully you’ll find a moment’s solace from connecting over stories you might recognise if you have any of these mental health conditions yourself, and if you don’t... you may well know someone who does...   CONTENT WARNING: as David recalls racist abuse, this episode contains offensive and distressing language.   Watch Stephanie Romiszewski   Listen to Tuppence Middleton   Listen to Matt Edmondson   Listen to David Harewood   Listen to TJ Power Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It can be tiring being anything but yourself. Musician Zayn has learnt to lean into what really makes him content.   In this chat with Fearne, Zayn talks through the quiet lifestyle he loves in Pennsylvania: painting, being outdoors, spending time with his daughter, and staying off his phone. He also explains how fatherhood has changed him, whether he's the parent he thought he would be, and what impact the new depths of emotion he feels has had on his music.   They chat about how to find the balance between sharing enough information with others to really connect on a deep level, while keeping some things private just for you. Plus, Zayn gives Fearne a very thoughtful gift...   Zayn’s new album, ROOM UNDER THE STAIRS is out now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Do you turn to food for comfort? Actor Rebel Wilson spent a lifetime using food to numb herself from difficult emotions.   In this chat with Fearne, Rebel shares why she felt safe using her body as a barrier to true intimacy, not having sex until she was 35. Knowing that she was medically obese, Rebel made 2020 her ‘year of health’, but it was working through her trauma that made the most difference, not a specific diet or exercise plan.   Fearne also shares the realities of her bulimia, including the secrecy and isolation that can come with shame.   Rebel talks about feeling like a ‘loser’ at school and making a concerted effort to become popular through speaking to five new people each day, and being a part of theatre and sports teams for connection.   Plus, Rebel explains why it felt so important to speak her truth about what happened on certain sets in her memoir...   Rebel’s book, Rebel Rising, is out now. Listen to How To Laugh When You’ve Been To Hell And Back Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.