Alonement
Alonement is a podcast that reframes being alone as a positive, meaningful experience. Each week, host Francesca Specter talks to a guest about the time they spend by themselves and why it matters to them. The show explores the value of solitude and how to find joy in one's own company.
Episodes
Creating Community When You Live Alone, with Marianne Power
This week I’m chatting to journalist & bestselling author, Marianne Power. Marianne’s first book, Help Me, where she takes a deep dive into the world of self-help, was published in 25 languages and became a global bestseller. Now, she’s back with her long-awaited follow-up, Love Me: One Woman’s Search for A Different Happy Ever After. In this book, Marianne explores the potential for a life le
Solo Travel and How to Master the Art of Packing for One, with Lizzie Frainier
My guest this week Lizzie Frainier, author of Main Character: Lessons from a Real Life Rom-Com and associate travel editor at The Times. In this episode, she shares what she’s learnt from over a decade of solo travel, which began with a transatlantic home swap inspired by the film The Holiday and continued with a romantic trip for one in Venice, an ill-fated motorcycling trip in Vietnam and an Eat
Carving Out Space and Time for Yourself, with Penny Wincer
Penny Wincer is the author of Home Matters: How Our Homes Shape Us and We Shape Them, her second non-fiction book, and host of the podcast, Not Too Busy to Write, where she interviews writers on their relationship with their craft and how they make time for it. In the years I’ve been writing this podcast, I’ve learnt alonement is just about practical considerations as it is about the emotiona
Strengthen Your Solitude Skills, with Thuy-vy Nguyen
This week's guest, Thuy-vy Nguyen, PhD, is one of the world’s leading researchers on solitude, and an associate professor at Durham University’s dedicated research lab, Solitude Lab. Her interest is in ‘ordinary, everyday life solitude’, the kind you’re more likely to find in the corner of a cafe than on a 10-day silent meditation retreat. It’s solitude in moderation – or what we on this
How to Cook for One, with Eleanor Wilkinson
Struggle to cook for one? We've got you - our guest Eleanor Wilkinson, recipe developer and author of One Pot, One Portion, has dedicated her career to overcoming some of the most common hurdles people face when cooking solo. Inspired by losing her father at a young age, Eleanor resolved to seize life's simple pleasures and make every moment count, including the meals she ate alone. Trained at Bal
Cat Ladies of the World, Unite! With Comedian Katie Norris
Welcome to season 10 of Alonement! Katie Norris, an award-winning comedian and confirmed cat-cherlorette (OK, I came up with that) is my guest on the first episode of this season. Katie adopted her 'lockdown baby', Atticus, at the start of the pandemic. He's been her companion as she's established herself as a stand-up comedian, and taken a prolonged dating hiatus. She shares how she's claiming th
Maggie Smith: Financial Independence, Relearning Vulnerability & Dating After Divorce
Maggie Smith is a poet & writer who found overnight fame when her poem, ‘Good Bones’, went viral on social media in 2016. Later on, her life was to take a further change when her husband of 19 years, and the father of her children, announced he wanted a divorce two years later. Her memoir, You Could Make This Place Beautiful, published in April 2023 – explores the connection between these two
Alice Vincent: A Garden of One's Own
There are certain rites of passage that take place after a major break-up. For some, it’s a hair-cut or a big solo trip, or a regrettable rebound with someone the polar opposite of your ex. My guest this week, Alice Vincent, departed from the cliches: for her, it was growing plants. In her partly autobiographical books, Rootbound and more recently Why Women Grow, Alice chronicles how she came to g
Leslie Stephens: The Joy of Living Alone, Plus How To Design a Home for One
Leslie Stephens is the writer behind Morning Person, a top 10 Substack newsletter that chronicles her life in Portland, Oregon. In August last year, shortly after her 30th birthday, Leslie announced to her readers that she was separating from her husband. Over the past 18 months, she’s chronicled her journey of living by herself for the first time, including her recent solo house purchase – which
Max Dickins: On Male Friendship & Overcoming Weekend Loneliness
Getting engaged to your partner is typically a time for celebration. But for today’s guest Max Dickins, it was …. more complicated. As he prepared to propose to his girlfriend, Naomi, he had an uncomfortable revelation: he couldn’t think of anyone to ask to be his best man. This prompted a personal crisis for the writer and comedian – one which inspired him to address the dwindling friendship conn
Anita Bhagwandas: Finding a Social Balance When You Live Alone
My guest this week is Anita Bhagwandas, an award winning beauty director, and more recently the author of Ugly: Giving Us Back Our Beauty Standards, a book that examines the damaging impact of narrow beauty ideals and serves as a brilliant manifesto towards a more inclusive attitude. The book explores the importance of practising self care on your own terms, not what the beauty industry tells you
Jessica Pan: The Introvert's Guide to Socialising
In this episode, Jessica Pan discusses her book 'Sorry I'm Late, I Didn't Want to Come' and her journey of embracing extroversion. As we discuss on the show, Jessica is almost the opposite to me – she’s an introvert who learnt to be more extraverted, whereas I started exploring Alonement as a means of dealing with my fear, as an extrovert, of being alone. She tells me about her journey to emb
Poppy Jay: From Arranged Marriage to Falling in Love with Singlehood
My guest on this week’s episode is Poppy Jay, best known as the co-host of Brown Girls Do It Too, which won Podcast of the Year at the British Podcast Awards 2020. She’s also a BAFTA-nominated documentary maker, devoted to chronicling difficult, real-life stories for BBC Three and Channel 4. But she’s also been honest about her own: after entering an arranged marriage at the age of 19, Poppy got d
Thomas Curran: The Dark Side of Perfectionism
'That's the root of perfectionism: that chronic deficit thinking, the belief that we're not good enough. That we're not attractive enough, smart enough, fit enough, whatever it might be. In order to compensate for those feelings, we project on to the world a perfect persona that we feel like everybody wants to see – that we should be, essentially. And it's exhausting if you have to keep that
Vex King: How To Practise Self-Love Through Your Actions
You can’t really love anyone until you love yourself. While we see this a lot on Instagram, it’s something that actually requires a lot of exploration – and it’s my guest this week, the bestselling author and mind coach Vex King, that many of us have turned to over the past few years to teach us the true power of self-love, through his books, first in 2018’s Good Vibes, Good Life and later in 2021
Ruby Warrington: My Marriage Wouldn't Work With Children
My guest this week is Women Without Kids author, Ruby Warrington. We're are at a fascinating time in history – where, both in the UK, US, and across almost every developed nation like Switzerland, Italy, Japan and South Korea, adults are having children later in life – or, indeed, not at all. While statistics vary, it is a recognised trend – and that trend is relevant to all of us whether we
Donna Lancaster: Alone Is Where I Meet Myself
Donna Lancaster is a coach and therapist, best known as the co-creator of The Bridge, a retreat designed to help attendees navigate grief and loss, and the author of a book of the same name. More recently, Donna has published a pocket book called Wise Words for Women, full of advice on how to live a rewarding, connected life. I know we hear a lot of these buzzwords like authenticity and pain, but
Naoise Dolan: Autism, (Un)happy Couples & The Joy Of Being A Foreigner
This week’s guest is author Naoise Dolan. I am absolutely thrilled to have Naoise on this season – she’s widely consider of the millennial generation’s most talented writers, ever since her Sunday Times bestseller debut novel Exciting Times was published in 2020. It’s currently being adapted into an Amazon Studios TV production starring Phoebe Dynevor. We’re here to discuss her hotly anticipated f
Caggie Dunlop: Overcoming Anxious Attachment In A Relationship
My guest for this week’s episode is podcaster and author Caggie Dunlop, whom you might also recognise as a former cast member on the rather well known reality show called Made in Chelsea. Caggie has since reached a whole different audience. Her show Saturn Returns – which explores the coming of age happens somewhere around your late twenties and early thirties – has united a community as they navi
Adam Gopnik: Solitude And The City, Edward Hopper & The Joy Of Being Alone In A Crowd
This week's guest is Adam Gopnik, a long-standing staff writer at the New Yorker, and the award-winning author of a frankly intimidating number of books, most recently The Real Work: On the Mystery of Mastery, which explores the process of learning a new skill. And then there was his recent Hollywood debut – those who’ve seen Oscar-winning film Tar might have also spotted Adam playing himself, as
Dr Nicole Lepera: How A Fear of Being Alone Feels In Your Body
This week’s guest is Dr Nicole LePera, whom you might be more familiar with as the Holistic Psychologist – the handle of her somewhat insanely popular Instagram account. She’s also the author of multiple books, including her New York bestseller How To Do The Work, and her latest title, a workbook called How To Meet Your Self. With fans including Elizabeth Day, Dr Rangan Chatterjee and Mel Robbins,
Amy Key: Single For 22 Years – A Life Story Told Through Joni Mitchell Songs
This week's guest on the podcast is the poet Amy Key. We're here to discuss her first work of prose, Arrangements in Blue: Notes on Love and Making a Life, which is a memoir inspired by the work of Amy's beloved musical icon, Joni Mitchell. Aged 44. Amy has been single for 22 years. Her book challenges us to consider the claim that life can both be wonderful in the absence of romantic love –
Susan Cain: The 'Quiet' Author On Free Falling Through Her Early 30s, Plus Why She Married An Extrovert
The Alonement podcast is back! And for the first episode of this season, I’m speaking to one of the most-requested guests since the show began: Susan Cain. Susan is the author of Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking, a book which spent eight years on the New York bestseller list after its publication in 2012. The book was inspired by her former career as a Wall Street
Introducing... The Shoulds
Hello Alonement listeners! So, a quick announcement to share that I've just launched a new project called The Shoulds. The Shoulds is an online Substack publication and community space that explores the hidden rules and stories that shape our lives. In many ways, this newsletter will be just like this podcast covering a lots of similar topics around psychology, authentic living, and relationships.
Me Time | Konnie Huq: Why Everyone Needs Anchors
This clip is taken from my guest interview with former Blue Peter presenter Konnie Huq, first released in August 2020. Konnie speaks about the sustaining power of having 'anchors' – close friends and family whom you know are at the end of the phone – and how this prevents loneliness, even when you are alone. Twitter: @ChezSpecter @Konnie_HuqInstagram: @chezspecter Hosted on Acast. See ac
Dr Marisa G. Franco: Why ‘Secure’ Attachment & Alone Time Go Hand In Hand
Season 7 finale! How did that happen?! We are, however, going out with a bang... This week, I have the pleasure of chatting to friendship expert & psychologist Dr Marisa G. Franco, whose new book Platonic: How Understanding Your Attachment Style Can Help You Make and Keep Friends combines two of the most zeitgeist-y lifestyle topics of the moment: attachment theory and the value of friendship.
Me Time | Dr Emma Hepburn: Finding 'Flow'
In this clip, we hear from psychologist and Instagram sensation Dr Emma Hepburn – with one of my favourite pieces of wisdom from our original recording, released in April 2021.Emma Hepburn’s book, A Toolkit For Modern Life, discussed in this episode, is available to order now.*My book, Alonement: How To Be Alone & Absolutely Own It, is available to order on Amazon, Wat
Nihal Arthanayake: We Need To Talk About Male Loneliness
This week my interviewee is radio and TV presenter Nihal Arthanayake. While I’ll be asking the questions today, Nihal is most used to playing the other role, having interviewed countless household names, including Minnie Driver, Ricky Gervais & Benedict Cumberbatch on his regular BBC 5 Live show. He’s recently written a book, Let’s Talk: How To Have Better Conversations - based on what he’s le
Me Time | Daisy Buchanan: Life Advice From A Former Agony Aunt
Another week, another bitesize mini-episode from Alonement archives. This conversation with journalist and author Daisy Buchanan comes from the first season of Alonement, recorded in person at my flat in November 2019. Before pivoting towards writing books, Daisy worked as an agony aunt for Grazia magazine, answering reader questions around everything from work to relationships. We discuss the phi
Holly Bourne: The Alternative Version of 'Happily Ever After'
This week I have the absolute pleasure of speaking to one of my favourite authors, Holly Bourne. After beginning her novel-writing career in the young adult genre, Holly has released three brilliant titles for adults over the past few years, which are full of wise reflections on relationships, navigating social pressure and recovering from trauma. She’s influenced, in part, by the five years she s
Me Time | Erling Kagge: London Is Lonelier Than Antarctica
Erling Kagge, one of the greatest living polar explorers – and the first in history to reach the 'three poles' – is the guest that we hear from in this week’s mini episode, taken from our longer conversation released in February 2022. Speaking to me from his home in Norway, Erling shares touchingly in this clip how the time he spent living in London in early adulthood was more lonely than the
Salma El-Wardany: Heartbreak Made Me Whole Again
In this week’s episode, I interview poet, BBC radio presenter and author Salma El-Wardany. Salma’s debut novel, These Impossible Things, has been a breakout international hit. It’s a novel about three British Muslim women whose close friendship falls apart one devastating night, and covers the themes of platonic bonds, identity and growing up. We discuss, among other things: Salma’
Me Time | Sophia Money-Coutts: Egg Freezing & The Option Of Solo Parenting
Journalist and novelist Sophia Money-Coutts is the star of this week’s mini-episode, first released in a longer form in August 2020. In this clip, we discuss a really important, timely topic of egg-freezing – undoubtedly one of the most important advances in fertility medicine like, ever. Sophia is wonderfully honest about her decision to freeze her eggs in her thirties, and discusses the ups
Dr Kat Lederle: Does Sleep Count As 'Me-Time'?
Ever wondered about the relationship between sleep and ‘alone time’? That’s the topic of this week’s episode with Dr Kat Lederle, a sleep scientist and chronobiologist (read: ‘body clock scientist’). I don’t know about you, but as someone who occasionally sits up for hours in the early morning with insomnia, I’d never considered how a lack of ‘me-time’ in the day might turn into a sleepless night…
Me Time | Vick Hope: Why I Am My Own Soulmate
Talk about an alonement icon – radio DJ & broadcaster Vick Hope is a woman who radiates everything this podcast is about, as a sunny, ambitious, beautiful soul with an infectious passion for life, or as she puts it 'a gratitude for being alive'. This episode was recorded in September 2020, and in the full episode Vick talks about living alone, being single and building a relationship with hers
Emma Forrest: Finding Solitude & Romance In Celibacy
As political protests go, a four-year vow of celibacy is on the extreme side. And that’s what this week’s guest, British-American film director & writer Emma Forrest, decided to do following her divorce from actor Ben Mendelsohn, a period of her life which coincided with Donald Trump serving as the 45th US President from 2017 to 2021. ‘Looking at him makes me not want to have sex,’ Emma reason
Me Time | Mo Gawdat: How To Make Friends With Your Brain
Mo Gawdat, bestselling author, podcaster & former chief business officer of Google X, is the star of this week's minisode, taken from our conversation first recorded in September 2021. In this clip from the archives, Mo shares his unique advice for learning to be alone comfortably with our thoughts, ie the gold standard of alonement. With a background in engineering, Mo is one of the most orig
Phoebe Fox: Does Absence Make The Heart Grow Fonder?
This week’s guest is Phoebe Fox, aka Marial from The Great, who acts alongside Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult in Hulu’s deliciously irreverent ‘anti-historical’ comedy-drama. I interviewed Phoebe, a RADA-trained actor who's been nominated both an Olivier and a SAG, earlier this year for GLAMOUR magazine, and I enjoyed our conversation so much that I begged her to come on the podcast so we could c
Me Time | Dr Julie Smith: What's The Point Of Journalling?
For this week's mini-episode, I'm revisiting my conversation with Dr Julie Smith, a clinical psychologist turned bestselling author known better by her Instagram handle, Dr Julie, or simply as that therapist off TikTok. In this clip, we take a deep dive into what it means to journal well. Of course, we see a lot on Instagram about journalling, but as inspiring as that can sometimes be, I wanted to
Megan Hine: A Survival Expert On Being Your Own Hero
Described by close friend Bear Grylls as ‘stronger than 99% of the men I know’, Megan Hine is a survival expert and TV presenter who works on and off camera to make some of the most extreme adventure shows on television happen. She also holds a degree in psychology – just another string to her already-very-loaded bow. I managed to catch Megan during one of the rare occasions she wasn’t on location
Me Time | Florence Given: Choosing Myself Over My ‘Clique’
As Florence Given tops the fiction bestseller charts with her debut novel, Girlcrush, I decided now would be a brilliant time to revisit this episode – first released in July 2020, after the release of her non-fiction book, Women Don't Owe You Pretty. In this clip, the writer, illustrator & podcast host shares how she learnt a crucial lesson about alone time at the age of 14, when she was 'ous
Owen O'Kane: How To Stop Living On Autopilot
I’m delighted to welcome Sunday Times bestselling author Owen O’Kane on to the show this week. Previously an NHS Clinical Lead for mental health, Owen is now a psychotherapist and bestselling author. His books have all sorts of intriguing names, like Ten Times Happier and Ten To Zen. But when I saw the title of his latest book, How To Be Your Own Therapist, my ears pricked up. This is a podcast ab
Me Time | Alain De Botton: The Art Of Getting To Know Yourself
Welcome to ‘Me Time’, Alonement’s new, weekly series of 10-minute mini episodes from the archives. We’ll be showcasing the very best wisdom from some of our favourite former guests, in bitesize episodes designed for those smaller pockets of Alonement that you get throughout your day. I'm kicking off with a slice of Alonement history: an ex
Iona Bain: Solo Finance, Living Alone & The 'Single Supplement'
Iona Bain is a personal finance expert who appears regularly on BBC Morning Live and writes a weekly column for the i Paper. She’s written two books, her second is Own It – a millennial guide to investing. On a personal level, she’s also recently made the big step of buying her first flat as a solo buyer – a process she described to me in an email as a ‘learning curve’. In this ep
Abigail Bergstrom: Hanging Out With The Best Version Of Yourself
Welcome to the tenth and final episode of season 6. This week’s episode is the second of two live recordings I did back to back at Kings Place in London – which was recorded in front of an audience. My guest is Abigail Bergstrom, the literary agent behind some of the biggest bestselling books in the past few years. More recently, at the beginning of this year, Abigail published her own debut
Olivia Petter: The Right (& Wrong) Ways To Navigate Solitude In A Relationship
This week, I have something very special for you – it’s the first ever live recording of Alonement, which was recorded in front of an audience at Kings Place in London. In what was a fairly ambitious move, I decided to record not one but two episodes back to back – which I’ll be releasing this week and next. The first guest to join me on stage was Olivia Petter, the author of Millennial Love, a br
Emma Gannon: Rediscovering Who You Are, Offline
My very special guest this week is Emma Gannon, host of the Ctrl Alt Delete podcast, one of my absolute favourite shows and the first I ever listened to. Now a prolific author of both fiction and non-fiction, Emma is a true career inspiration – and well as an example of how to live a varied, creative life. Her latest book is Disconnected: How To Stay Human In An Online World, a practical guide to
Roxie Nafousi: On Manifesting, Vision Boarding, & Why Solo Time Is Integral
Become the author of your own story – that's the promise from this week's guest, Roxie Nafousi, a self-development coach and bestselling author of Manifest: 7 Steps To Living Your Best Life, who champions the power of manifesting to bring about positive transformation in your life. Manifesting is a deceivingly simple concept; in a nutshell, it means changing your thought patterns in orde
Isy Suttie: I'm An Introverted Extrovert
This week's guest is Isy Suttie! The comedian, author and actor best known (among Peep Show fanatics) for playing the character of Dobby on the hit British sitcom. We discuss Isy Suttie's debut novel, Jane Is Trying, together with her stand-up comedy career and relationship with fellow comedian (and alone time fan, by the sounds of things!) Elis James. What follows is a gorgeous chat about the val
Angelica Malin: The Secret To Living Your Best Single Life
This week’s guest is author and journalist Angelica Malin, who recently published Unattached: Empowering Essays on Singlehood, a curated anthology of 30 writers (including me!) exploring the experience of being single, which was published by Square Peg earlier this year. Angelica, or Jelly as I know her, just so happens to be one of my closest friends. During our conversation, we discuss how our c
Oliver Burkeman: Stop Feeling Bad About Being Human
My guest this week, Oliver Burkeman, may be many things – but he's not a productivity expert. Thankfully, the former Guardian columnist rejects both the societal obsession with productivity hacking and the idea of being an expert (he'd much prefer to be regarded as a work in progress tackling the problems he personally struggles with through his work, he tells me on this episode). While Oliver mak
Dr Julie Smith: The Power Of Self-Soothing (& How To Do It)
She’s famous for her 60-second videos, yet I was lucky enough to have a full 60 MINUTES interviewing this week’s guest, the wonderful Dr Julie Smith. She’s the clinical psychologist, online educator and ‘TikTok therapist’ who has been looking after the emotional health of her 3 and a half million (!) followers over the past three years through her light-hearted yet information-filled videos, which
Erling Kagge: 50 Days Alone In The South Pole
As far as being 'alone' goes, my guest Erling Kagge has experienced the extreme end of the spectrum. The first man to ever complete the Three Poles challenge (that's Mount Everest, the North Pole and the South Pole) on foot, Erling once spent 50 days alone, without radio contact, during his solo South Pole expedition in 1992 – a feat which saw him featured on the cover of Time magazine the fo
Radhika Sanghani: How I Fell In Love With Myself
For Radhika Sanghani, author of the brilliant new novel 30 Things I Love About Myself, time alone holds an important significance as the space where she’s learnt the true meaning of self-love. Her book even includes an aspirational, alonement-loving heroine… and what could be better? Appearing as my first guest on this season of the podcast, Radhika brings an infectious, empowering energy and a wh
Alonement: Season 6 Trailer
It’s comeback time, baby! Alonement returns with season 6 on Friday 18 February, with guests including a comedian, a self-love guru and an Arctic explorer. Subscribe now on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Trust me, you won’t want to miss out. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Natasha Lunn: Love Is Protecting Each Other’s Solitude
Can you believe we’ve reached season finale time *already*? No, me neither, to be honest… but we’re out with a bang! Natasha Lunn, the author of Sunday Times bestseller and one of 2021’s most talked-about non-fiction titles, Conversations on Love, is my marvellous final guest for season five of the podcast. Natasha’s debut book, Conversations On Love, is inspired by her bimonthly newsletter o
Michael James Wong: Mindfulness & The Value Of Inaction Skills
This week I’m talking to Michael James Wong, the founder of global mindfulness collective Just Breathe. Earlier this year, he launched a brilliant meditation app of the same name. He is committed to bringing mindfulness to people around the world – whether that’s through in-person events which in the past have attracted over 1,000 participants, or through being connected online. He’s also just abo
Kate Wills: Divorce, Solo Travel & New Beginnings
Divorcing your husband, travelling the world alone, getting back together with an ex & having a baby might sound like a lot to go through in a year, but this week's guest, journalist, columnist & author Kate Wills, did it all. In this episode, we discuss her first book, A Trip of One's Own, a solo travel memoir written on the other side of the pandemic about Kate's divorce in her early thi
Mo Gawdat: Why I'm Becoming A 'Half-Monk'
I’m honoured to introduce this week’s guest, Mo Gawdat – an author, speaker, serial entrepreneur, former chief business officer at Google X and one of the most innovative thinkers I’ve ever come across.‘I only allow my brain two different types of thought: a useful thought, or a joyful thought, or it shuts up’ – this quote from the podcast is typical of Mo’s logical approach to his inner world. Wh
Emma John: Being Single In Your Forties
Emma John is an award winning journalist and author. Her most recent book, Self-Contained, is a memoir which chronicles what it’s like to enter your 40s without having been in a serious long-term relationship. It’s a book that celebrates the fullness of single life – the highs and lows.Our conversation is an unapologetic, unflinching look at the single experience, with a particular emphasis on how
Lorraine Candy: The Joys Of Cold Water Swimming
On the show this week I have Lorraine Candy, one of the most influential people on the UK’s magazine industry and formerly editor-in-chief at Cosmopolitan, ELLE & latterly Sunday Times Style. Lorraine is also the host of the Postcards from Midlife podcast, and author of new book, Mum, What’s Wrong With You – a funny, practical manual for anyone raising teenage girls. I found this conversation
Alex Soojung-Kim Pang: Finding Purpose & Focus At Work
Hello, my worker bees! So let's face it, the perfect office probably doesn't exist – but if it did, it would be the brainchild of Alex Soojung Kim Pang, PHD, a Silicon Valley consultant and a futurist who has spent the last two decades researching the nature of people, work and technology. Alex totally transformed how I think about the 'work-life balance' – we spoke about the need to instead creat
Bella Younger: Social Media Addiction & Killing Off Deliciously Stella
We’re backkkkkkk, gang! For episode uno of Season 5, I have been GRACED by the presence of comedian/author/generally awesome human Bella Younger. Formerly known as her alter-ego Deliciously Stella (yup, the one taking the p– out of the dodgier side of the wellness industry for years), Bella has officially killed off her one-time alias and written a brand new book to mark it. Our conversa
Rekesh Chauhan: Loneliness Awareness Week Miniseries
My third and final guest for this miniseries is Rekesh Chauhan, an award-winning British-Indian pianist and composer, who over the pandemic channelled his musical talent into producing two short films to raise awareness around mental and emotional health issues. The second – Feel So Alone – released to coincide with this year's Loneliness Awareness Week, spotlights the effects of loneliness o
Cheryl Rickman: Loneliness Awareness Week Miniseries
This episode’s guest is Sunday Times bestselling author Cheryl Rickman. Cheryl’s latest book, Navigating Loneliness: How To Connect With Yourself and Others, is an insightful, comprehensive handbook to finding the balance between solitude and loneliness – through cultivating the most meaningful, fulfilling relationships possible with yourself and others. Cheryl is a woman after my own heart –
Alex Holmes: Loneliness Awareness Week Miniseries
Hello, hello, hello! Welcome to a 3-part miniseries of Alonement produced for Loneliness Awareness Week in collaboration with the Marmalade Trust.My first guest is Alex Holmes, an author, podcaster and mental health educator. On his podcast, Time To Talk, Alex interviews his guests about mental health, masculinity, identity and emotional education. His book of the same name, Time To Talk: How Men
Dr Emma Hepburn: Forget Happyland – It Doesn't Exist
It’s season finale time! And, might I add, what a banger to conclude with: my interviewee this week is Dr Emma Hepburn a.k.a @thepsychologymum. Emma quickly became one of my all-time favourites interviewees within minutes of starting this recording. She is that magical combination of grounded, honest and astonishingly wise. One moment she’s your relatable close friend, the next she’s throwing out
Dr Remi Adekoya: The Mixed Blessing Of Growing Up Biracial
And now, the end is near… It’s the penultimate episode of the season, and my guest is Dr Remi Adekoya. I was fascinated to find out, through Remi’s work, that a third of British people will be mixed race by the end of the century. His brilliant new book, Biracial Britain: A Different Way Of Looking At Race, brings together stories of biracial British people from all ages and mixed-race backgrounds
Millie Gooch: Sobriety Taught Me To Value Alone Time
Meet the woman who makes sobriety cool: this week’s guest is Millie Gooch, founder of the Sober Girl Society. Millie gave up drinking alcohol in 2018, and never looked back. I’m all about glamorising a good cause (hello – positive alone time!) and this is exactly what Millie does with her platform, showing that a sober life is not a lesser life: it can often by much the opposite. During this conve
Magid Magid: Meeting Strangers On Chat Roulette & Other Unexpected Loneliness Cures
It's MAGIC Magid! This week’s guest, former Lord Mayor of Sheffield Magid Magid – often referred to as Magic Magid – is the first politician to appear on the show, and what a joy it was to speak with him. Magid is an absolute powerhouse: arriving in the UK at the age of four as a Somali refugee, he went on to become Sheffield’s youngest ever Mayor, taking up the role in 2018 at the age of 28, and
Hollie McNish: Scared To Be Alone After Dark
*TRIGGER WARNING* The topics discussed on this podcast may be triggering for those following the news story around the disappearance of Sarah Everard last week. My guest this week is poet Hollie McNish. Hollie had been described by critics as ‘a bewildering law unto herself’ – and, you know what, that’s pretty accurate. Forget everything you thought you knew about poetry – Hollie, who formerly w
I WROTE A BOOK! Alonement: How To Be Alone And Absolutely Own It
Welcome to a very special episode of Alonement to mark the publication week of my first BOOK: Alonement: How to be alone and absolutely own it, the book inspired by this podcast, out now – get your copy on Amazon, Waterstones, Bookshop.org and all good booksellers. So what’s on the agenda? Ironically, considering the theme of this podcast, it’s the first time I am going solo without a guest. Howev
Lucy Watson: Banished To The Vegetarian Table
Ostensibly, this week’s guest – one of the UK’s best known reality TV stars – might not seem like the go-to authority on time alone. Yet, after half a decade of living around cameras, Made in Chelsea star Lucy Watson describes her solitude as a ‘relief’. In this episode, we discuss the power of following your values and living authentically. For Lucy, that means following a vegan lifestyle, as she
Michelle Elman: When Being Selfish Means Choosing Yourself
Ever struggled to set boundaries in your life? If this sounds like you (and – let’s face it – it's most of us), then this week’s episode, starring ‘The Joy of Being Selfish’ author Michelle Elman, will prove an absolute saviour. Michelle is a life coach and body positive activist, best known to her 300,000 social media followers for her global Scarred Not Scared campaign. Fascinatingly, we recorde
Nell Frizzell: From 'Panic Years' To Parenting
Don’t panic – but my guest this week is Nell Frizzell, the brilliant author of ‘The Panic Years’, a memoir about Nell’s journey from a single woman in her late twenties to becoming a first-time mother at 32. Listening back to this episode, I was wowed for a second time by Nell’s eloquence and honesty: she puts into words what so many women feel around those ‘panic years’ of deciding whether or not
Guy Winch: What Does A Loneliness Expert Do?
This week’s guest is Guy Winch, a clinical psychologist, TED speaker and author of Emotional First Aid (plus other books!). He’s also a loneliness expert – a role which I was pretty intrigued by! Anyway, I learnt a lot from recording this episode: about loneliness; about emotional self-reliance versus when to see a therapist; and so much more. Side note: Guy is also hilariously funny – a highlight
Rebecca Seal: How To Work From Home (During A Pandemic)
We’re back, baby! It’s a new year, and with it comes a brand new season of Alonement. My first guest is author and presenter Rebecca Seal, whose latest book, SOLO: How To Work Alone (And Not Lose Your Mind), accidentally became one of the most relevant titles of 2020 as many of us faced home-working due to lockdown. After over a decade of running her freelance career from home, Rebecca shares her
Camilla Thurlow: Discomfort Makes Me Feel Closer To Myself
It's the season finale! Since interviewing this week's guest Camilla Thurlow last month, I have been itching to share this episode with you. The bomb disposal expert turned Love Island star (and former Miss Edinburgh) is one of the loveliest, most articulate people I've ever had the privilege to interview, and I am absolutely empowered by her life philosophy of putting herself in challenging situa
Felicity Cloake: The Glamour Of Solo Dining
If I could sum up Felicity Cloake's lifestyle in two words, it would be: solo glamour. From cooking up solo dining feasts to taking an independent six-week cycling holiday across France (albeit joined by pals at intervals along the way), the Guardian food writer and author truly lives her philosophy that, in her words, 'you are worth eating something nice for on your own'. I love and have been tho
Matthew Stadlen: Birdwatching Alone, I've Rarely Felt So Alive
I was touched by the honesty of this week’s guest, Matthew Stadlen. During our candid conversation, the LBC presenter and journalist opens up about the challenges of dating after a recent divorce, navigating a marriage breakdown and living alone during a pandemic. Later on, we also discuss Matthew’s passion for birdwatching (and he answers my VERY basic questions as to what birdwatching actually,
