This episode reframes addiction recovery by spotlighting a commonly overlooked factor: brain nutrition. Christina, a psychotherapist and certified nutritionist with decades in addiction work, explains how many people who chronically relapse have ‘starving brains’—inconsistent eating, ultra-processed diets and depleted neurotransmitters. She outlines practical strategies: 20 grams of protein every four hours, targeted amino acids (tyrosine, theanine, 5-HTP, D-phenylalanine), and high-dose omega-3s. Listeners learn how these interventions can quickly reduce cravings, stabilise mood, improve ADHD symptoms, and make psychosocial and spiritual recovery work. The conversation includes real client stories and clear, immediately usable recommendations.

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This episode is a hopeful, actionable guide for anyone stuck in repeating life patterns. Amanda shares relatable examples; grief, toxic relationships, and social pressure to show how beliefs about oneself shape external realities. She stresses mentorship and accountability, and explains how changing your identity naturally shifts friendships, romantic choices and daily habits. The discussion demystifies ‘manifestation’ as disciplined identity work: awareness, concrete tasks, community reinforcement and regular reflection. Whether you’re supporting someone in recovery or seeking your own change, this episode offers clear steps to move from stuck to thriving without relying solely on willpower.

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Melinda and Emma explore decision-making, neurodivergence, and the healing power of body wisdom in this compassionate, practical episode. Melinda describes her Inner Compass Reset course and shows how reconnecting with bodily cues reduces rumination and empowers clear choices whether for small daily preferences or life-changing decisions. They discuss ADHD as a lens for embracing accommodations rather than shame, the therapeutic value of naming emotions, and tools to increase distress tolerance. The interview blends hypnosis, somatic practice, and shadow integration to offer bite-sized, pleasurable steps toward reclaiming authenticity and making decisions from inner truth.

Connect with Melinda Here: <...

Emma and Liz dig into the cultural shifts needed to hold big emotions without collapsing into shame, shutdown or performative urgency. They discuss how modern media and social movements expose us to far more pain than previous generations, and why there’s a missing step between awareness and action: digesting feelings and forming values-informed responses. The conversation covers healthcare experiences, discernment in choosing providers, and the value of relational care. Listeners will come away with ideas for compassionate self-inquiry, community connection, and small, meaningful ways to live out their values.

Connect with Liz Here:

Website: ww...

What happens when two people connect so naturally that the conversation begins before either of them realises the interview has started?

In this extraordinary episode of The Healing Odyssey, Emma is joined by Dr Dorie Le Sieur for an open and deeply personal exploration of trauma, psychology, spirituality and the parts of human experience that cannot always be contained within conventional boxes.

Born in Persia during the Iran–Iraq War and later raised across several cultures, Dr Dorie shares how her experiences as an immigrant, US Air Force veteran, nurse and psychologist shaped her curiosity ab...

In this episode Emma interviews writer and teacher Hope Hawkins about her memoir, trauma, and the transformative power of storytelling. Hope reads moving passages from 'Sometimes I Feel', recounting the sudden loss of her mother and the protective ‘bravery’ that kept her from grieving. She shares how spinal surgery, lifelong depression (bipolar II), and difficult parenting choices shaped her relationship with vulnerability. Hope explains how creative writing, especially with incarcerated students helps people unload weight onto the page, reclaim authentic voice, and begin healing. The conversation also explores Al‑Anon, mindfulness, and her father’s founding of EPIC for Children...

KaRon talks about starting and growing a private practice focused on LGBTQIA+ and other marginalized individuals, and how clinical work informs her teaching and vice versa. He shares stories from internships at a Federal Public Defender’s office and a state hospital where relationship-building turned disengaged people into participants in treatment. KaRon outlines practical steps for finding community, large or intimate and stresses the importance of resources, curiosity, and stepping slightly outside your comfort zone. The interview is full of accessible insight for clinicians, students, people in recovery, and anyone supporting loved ones through healing.

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Emma and Cassandra dig into the craft of building therapeutic rapport: why being human, playful and ethically flexible often beats rigid professionalism. Cassandra shares stories from inpatient substance-use and youth programs to show how real connection, even something as simple as a cigarette offered in the moment can open doors to change. They cover coaching tools Cassandra uses (polyvagal-informed regulation, group pods, and live feedback), the value of community modeling for breakthroughs, and why therapists should embrace their authentic style when working with clients who ‘sniff out’ inauthenticity.

Connect with Cassandra Here:

Website: http...

Cheryl and Emma dig into the tension between doing and being: why so many professionals and caregivers burn out while still loving their work. Cheryl explains how values misalignment, not just workload, drains energy, and how clarifying purpose becomes a compass for saying no with confidence. The conversation highlights achievable tools: brief coaching, group support, journaling prompts, behavioral nudges and brain-based techniques (like using posture, affirmations and small rituals) that influence mood and motivation. This episode is a toolkit for anyone juggling responsibility, grief or overwhelm and wanting to reclaim fulfillment.

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A hopeful, down-to-earth hour about reclaiming life after addiction. Don talks about writing a memoir and a new project of 365 reflections aimed at ordinary moments of recovery, and describes how meditation transformed his relationship to thoughts and cravings. He shares memorable coaching moments; from helping clients draft realistic post-discharge plans to gently challenging identities like “I’m a crackhead” and stresses community as the antidote to isolation. This episode is for anyone curious about alternatives to one-size-fits-all recovery, and for people who want compassionate strategies to stay sober one day at a time.

Connect with Don Here:

W...

This conversation reframes cancer not only as crisis but also as catalyst: many survivors emerge more willing to take risks, change careers or re-prioritise life. Caitlin reflects on her own transition from policy and academia into coaching after her diagnosis and describes coaching’s power to help clients mourn losses, name new values, and make pragmatic decisions, whether scaling back hours, starting new projects, or crafting a legacy. The episode also calls out gaps in workplace empathy and legal understanding, urging employers to train managers and build inclusive policies. Listeners will find hope, practical signposts, and actionable tools to na...

This conversation centers on practical empowerment: learning to listen to that inner voice, letting go of the ego’s control, and building a sustainable healing practice. Kristine Ovsepian shares actionable insights on working with clients (why one-to-one work fulfils her), how to integrate multiple modalities in a single session, and the timeline needed to rewire habits (21–30 days). Emma and Kristine also reflect on grief, loneliness, and the human need for physical connection during crises like COVID, reminding listeners that small, consistent shifts and self-compassion are core to long-term transformation.

Connect with Kristine here:

www.JourneysToHeal.com<...

Kate and Emma dive into attachment wounds, explaining the mother wound (belonging, having needs met) and the father wound (safety to move into the world, visibility). They discuss common adult patterns such as people-pleasing, over-responsibility, and codependency that originate in childhood survival strategies and later trap us. Through group programs, one-to-one sessions, and guided practices, clients learn to feel what was missing, give themselves those unmet needs, and rewrite relational dynamics. The episode emphasizes small, steady shifts: pulling back to allow others to step up, sensing bodily cues, and creating safe spaces that rewire subconscious survival responses.

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In this episode Donna shares a raw, relatable story of growing up hyper-alert, craving to be seen, and discovering alcohol as a temporary solution that later became a long-term problem. She traces how childhood responsibility and shame shaped her coping mechanisms from attention-seeking stunts to overworking in adulthood and describes the turning points that led her into recovery. Donna explains how journaling, therapy, AA and sober community gradually helped her peel back old stories, reclaim value, and build new tools for emotional regulation. This conversation centers on compassion, curiosity and one-step-at-a-time change.

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This episode blends memoir, therapeutic insight and practical philosophy. Rick walks through a career‑ending athletic injury that triggered an identity collapse and eventual reinvention; he describes shadow integration work rooted in Jungian ideas, nervous‑system healing and the surprising physical responses people experience when they face trauma. Em and Rick discuss performance patterns, shame, forgiveness and how frequency and purpose open doors. Ideal for anyone wrestling with identity loss, caregiving burdens, or creative risk, the conversation offers encouragement: you don’t have to fit one model of recovery to find meaning and impact.

Connect with Richard here:<...

In this episode Emma talks with jazz vocalist, songwriter and label founder Lizzie Thomas about how music became a channel for her spiritual awakening and creative expression. Lizzie explains hearing melodies and lyrics in dreams, the role of sound frequencies and chakra resonance in healing, and how embodiment transformed her songwriting. She shares the emotional story behind the ballad “After All This Time,” which explores second chances and meeting yourself, and describes the daily practices, dream reflection, grounding and meal prep that keep her balanced while touring, recording and writing her next book.

Content & Listen to the Amaz...

This episode explores the interplay between physical performance and emotional wellbeing, showing how identity can become dangerously tied to achievement. Tyler recounts losing and rebuilding himself through injuries, relationships, and chasing external validation, then describes the turning points that led him to coaching. He offers actionable tools: asking how your "secure future self" would act, setting three-month goals, habit-stacking, and using conversational exercise paces. Listeners learn to prioritise themselves, create boundaries, and design a life where fitness supports , rather than replaces, emotional health and meaningful relationships.

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A special bonus from Tyler: https...

This episode traces a powerful arc from trauma to transformation. Mark Brosnan describes living with complex PTSD: hypervigilance, suicidal ideation, panic attacks and the shame of feeling ‘broken.’ He reveals how stepping into radio, a role that matched his needs, and volunteering at a bookshop rekindled confidence and meaning. Emma and Mark discuss burnout in guardianship roles, the silent erosion of mental health, and the role of partners and colleagues in recovery. Practical, hopeful and raw, the conversation invites anyone affected by mental illness to try small experiments, ask for help, and reclaim a life worth living.

Conn...

Emma and Vandana discuss inherited trauma across generations and the concept of becoming a "cycle breaker." They trace how family dynamics, caregiver availability and even prenatal stress can shape identity, health and behaviour, sometimes for many generations. Using case examples and recommended readings, Vandana outlines how to research family patterns, converse with ancestral parts, and reclaim talents passed down in DNA. The episode also calls out systemic gaps in recovery care like long waits for post-detox support and argues for integrated approaches combining medical oversight, community support and holistic healing to reduce relapse risk and foster lasting resilience.

In this episode Emma interviews Tracie J. Blackmon, author of the memoir Her Name Was Judy, which explores losing her mother to suicide and the decades of silence that followed. Tracie shares how writing about her mother became a healing act, why grief can resurface across a lifetime, and how different losses (including her father’s recent death) demanded different kinds of mourning. They discuss family dynamics, cultural stigma around suicide, and the powerful release that arises when you finally speak a lost loved one’s name aloud. Tracie’s honesty models how storytelling and remembrance can reshape recovery and re...

Comedian-turned-suicide-prevention speaker Frank King joins host Emma again to map the unexpected intersection of humour and mental health. Frank traces his journey from the comedy circuit to TEDx stages and keynote work, revealing how lived experience, suicide loss, a personal attempt, and living with mental illness became the foundation for teaching suicide prevention. He explains why storytelling and well-timed levity help audiences absorb heavy material, shares an impactful military engagement story, and stresses the power of honest conversations. This episode blends warmth, practicality and hard-won wisdom to show how laughter can open the door to life-saving dialogue.

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This episode centers on human connection. How admitting pain and choosing curiosity over control can change a life. Ezra and Emma talk about the rituals, relapses and revelations that shaped his recovery: the importance of spiritual practice, embracing imperfection, and making daily choices that align with inner values. They also explore practical family dynamics, working with adult children as equals, allowing vulnerability at home, and turning failures into moments of humor rather than shame. Listeners will find compassionate insights for anyone supporting a loved one or rebuilding a life after addiction, with music as both metaphor and medicine.

In this special bonus episode of The Healing Odyssey, Emma speaks with memoirist, writer and former music agent Ira Blacker about a life shaped by survival, reinvention and rock-and-roll history.

Ira takes us behind his memoir, Once a King, Now a Prince, which brings together three distinct parts of his journey: his unconventional and often chaotic upbringing, the lessons and consequences of his past, and his experiences working within the music industry.

He shares how what began as personal journalling gradually developed over 15 years into a memoir, as well as stories from his career as...

Host Emma welcomes breathwork teacher Jill Nussinow from Breath Wise Health, who shares her shift from 30 years of teaching cooking to a passion for breathwork during the pandemic. Jill explains how basic breathing practices access the parasympathetic nervous system moving us from fight-or-flight into rest, digest, and heal. She guides a short coherence breath (5 in/5 out) and highlights practical outcomes: reduced stress, clearer decision-making, better digestion, and improved posture. This episode emphasizes consistency over intensity with small daily practices, even a minute before meals or a two-minute pause, compound into profound physical and mental benefits.

Join Jill...

One hundred episodes. One hundred opportunities to speak honestly, challenge stigma and remind someone listening that they are not alone.

In this special bonus episode, Emma pauses to reflect on the journey of The Healing Odyssey and to thank every courageous guest who has trusted her with their story—as well as the listeners she may never meet, including those who quietly press play during their most difficult moments.

This is more than a celebration of a number. It is a reminder of why these conversations matter: silence allows shame to grow, while openness, compassion an...

A warm, hopeful conversation about reclaiming joy through creativity, awareness and connection. Jenni shares stories from music therapy and clinical work from stroke rehab to people resistant to talking therapies showing how arts-based approaches open new paths for expression and healing. The episode covers practical guidance for finding the right therapist, balancing empathy with compassion to avoid burnout, and making life-friendly, sustainable changes. Ideal for people in recovery, caregivers, and anyone feeling overbooked, the episode encourages experimentation: try something new, prioritise rejuvenation, and remember joy can be chosen and practiced every day.

Connect with Jenni Here:

This wide-ranging conversation centers on healing as both biochemical and psychological work. Bill explains how cellular health (oxygenation, nutrients, mitochondrial function) supports recovery and peak lifespan, while Emma explores the realities of addiction, relapse and burnout. They stress that relapse is informative, not final, and that changing the stories we tell ourselves 'I'm not worthy' is crucial. Practical tips include drinking water first thing to thin morning blood, grounding barefoot, laughing for immunity, and short daily meditation as a reset. The episode encourages seeking good coaching, focusing on what you can control, and building consistent, compassionate routines for long-term...

In this episode Emma speaks with Katrina Collier, author of the memoir The Damage of Words, about healing childhood abuse, complex PTSD, and the life-changing power of inner child work. Katrina shares how a career conversation led her to therapy, how naming patterns like gaslighting and emotional neglect helped her see what she’d carried for decades, and why forgiveness and self-compassion are central to recovery. They explore practical techniques such as inner child exercises, grounding, energetic protection and the importance of choosing safe, qualified support. This episode is for anyone wanting hope, actionable steps, and permission to start he...

This episode dives into practical tools for family healing: impact letters, story-writing, coaching and virtual group work. Dr. Mike describes how narrative exercises and peer feedback help family members externalize the illness, process emotions, and rewrite their stories. He explains why coaching and education often work better initially than therapy—reducing defensive reactions and increasing engagement—and how virtual apps and Zoom groups create ongoing social support. Listeners hear examples of how families change when one member recovers, and how healthier boundaries and shared recovery improve outcomes for everyone.

Connect with Dr Mike:

https://www.drmi...

Tammy Ward joins Emma on The Healing Odyssey to share her journey from 24 years in the RCMP to becoming a speaker, author and trauma advocate. She reveals how policing culture taught toughness but not processing, and how extreme coping, like compulsive running, can hide deep distress. Tammy discusses leadership, communication and trust as the foundation for safer workplaces and communities. She offers practical ways to check in compassionately, set boundaries, ask permission before intervening, and recognise nonobvious warning signs. This episode emphasizes that trauma isn’t a hierarchy and that choosing to heal can transform pain into purpose.

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This conversation centers on transformative, person-centered approaches to addiction, burnout, mental health and more. Dr. Elizabeth Ssemanda shares how integrating conventional psychiatry with alternative modalities speeds clarity and healing for clients grappling with trauma, shame or substance use. She discusses practical barriers, such as insurance, short appointments, cultural mistrust and how virtual practice and supportive communities can increase access. Topics include socially acceptable addictions like workaholism, the body’s memory of trauma, and the urgency of supporting people immediately when they stop substances. The episode invites compassion, connection and curiosity as paths toward lasting recovery.

Connect with Dr...

In this episode Emma welcomes psychologist Dr. Matt Campbell to explore 'Our Primal 5'; sunlight, movement, sleep, meaningful connection, and mindful consumption, as the foundational elements of recovery and mental health. They dismantle the perfection myth, reframe slips as learning opportunities, and explain how small, practical changes (like stacking habits and limiting choices) are more sustainable than waiting for motivation. Dr. Matt shares real-world examples—morning sunlight, dog walks, pairing enjoyable activities with movement—and emphasizes flexibility: tailor routines to your life, not someone else’s ideal. Listeners leave with actionable steps to bolster resilience and wellbeing.

Connec...

Matt Johnson shares his extraordinary recovery from a severe brain injury that left him light- and sound-sensitive and trapped in a dark, solitary room. Frustrated by limited medical answers, he became an obsessive researcher and combined Western neurology with alternative healing—Reiki, pranic healing, qigong—then trained in hypnosis and NLP. He discovered PTSD had been keeping his brain in fight-or-flight, blocking healing. By learning how to change his focus, bodily state, and subconscious programming, Matt rebuilt his life. He now helps others—soldiers, survivors of abuse, and people with chronic triggers—using protocols that blend neuroscience, practical skills, and gent...

Paul Booth candidly traces a life shaped by childhood instability, addiction, and transformation. Born in Hollywood, raised in a fractured household, and thrust into adult responsibilities by age 12, Paul details his descent into addiction and life on the streets. A powerful spiritual awakening in a church set him on a path to sobriety and structured recovery. He explains how meetings, recovery houses, and later education led him to counseling, licensure, and authorship. His memoir Ethos, Pathos and Alcohol braids past and present, revealing how trauma, resilience, and faith reshaped his identity and purpose.

Find and Connect with...

In this episode Emma speaks with Dr. Medge Jaspan about reclaiming authenticity through creativity, positive psychology and psycho-spiritual work. They explore how routine and self-judgment trap people in roles that don’t fit—parental expectations, people-pleasing, or the ‘quiet sibling’ identity—and how curiosity, feeling rather than overthinking, and small practical shifts can restore inner power. Dr. Medge shares approaches including one-on-one coaching, group workshops, couples work and retreats that blend therapy, breathwork, ancestral and value work, and ocean-based practices to regulate the nervous system and spark sustainable change.

Dr. Medge Jaspan is a visionary wellness leader, French-Ame...

Wes introduces a clear, usable framework—frequency, intensity, recovery—to measure progress in recovery, relationships, anxiety, and trauma responses. Emma and Wes narrate real-life examples (from relationship fights to trauma triggers) to show how tracking these three metrics transforms discouraging plateaus into visible gains. They also explore the coaching value of clarity, confidence, and accountability, and how brief, focused interventions can accelerate growth. Listeners will leave with concrete ways to gather and interpret data from their daily experience, so change feels measurable, not mythical.

Connect with Wes and Book onto His Event Here:

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In this episode Emma speaks with Dr. Imani Price, a fourth-generation Army psychologist who now runs Centers for Counseling and Wellness International. They discuss serving military families, providing culturally attuned virtual care across states and overseas, and the importance of continuity when service members PCS (permanent change of station). Dr. Price shares how her practice evolved from a women-focused clinic into an international service supporting veterans, active duty, and expat communities. Practical themes include removing stigma, tailoring therapy to present-focused change work, and how connection, nonjudgmental support, and culturally informed clinicians improve access and outcomes for military clients.

Sue Rizzello opens up about the hard realities of ovarian cancer: late diagnosis, ambiguous symptoms, aggressive treatment and a decade of follow-up scans that fuel “scanxiety.” She explains the key symptoms (persistent bloating, early satiety, pelvic pain, urinary changes), the limitations of current tests like CA125, and the importance of raising awareness among both women and men. Sue also discusses advocacy work, involvement with charities and the emotional complexity of celebrating survival while remembering those lost to the disease.

Connect with Sue Here: www.remedymarketing.co.uk

Continue Your Journey

Thank you so much...

In this episode Paul Drayton joins Emma to tell a brutally honest, often funny story about growing up gay in Sunderland, chasing acting in London, and the years of alcoholism that followed. Paul reveals his late ADHD diagnosis at 50 and how understanding neurodivergence reframed decades of choices, relationships and coping strategies. He discusses the pressures of public life, a high-profile marriage, brushes with the law, and the long journey through treatment, relapse and recovery. The conversation weaves practical insights about ADHD and addiction with personal accountability, compassion, and how community and curiosity helped him rebuild a life focused on...

Christine joins the Healing Odyssey podcast to share her path from corporate burnout to becoming a certified medium and reiki master, helping midlife women navigate ADHD and toxic environments. Through somatic practices and membership, she empowers women to embrace a life tailored for them. The discussion covers a wide span of topics, including the impact of perimenopause on mental health and the power of embracing individuality. The episode highlights the importance of dismissing societal labels, understanding one’s purpose beyond a career, and advocating for personal and collective awareness around mental health and well-being.

Connect with Christine he...