Crisis What Crisis with Andy Coulson

Esther Ghey's 16-year-old daughter Brianna was murdered in a park near their home in Warrington in February 2023. What followed — the campaigning, the memoir, the forgiveness, the compassion — has made her one of the most consequential reform voices in contemporary British life.
In this bonus episode of Crisis What Crisis, I sit down with Esther to discuss her Crisis Compass. The four points of navigation that she turns on her darker days – a person, a habit, a comfort and a piece of advice.
Esther is the founder of the Brianna Ghey Legacy Project and Peace in Mind UK, a social enterprise focused on mental health in schools. She launched the Phone Free Education campaign, has campaigned in parliament, and last month received an honorary doctorate from the University of Chester. She was named The Independent's Most Influential Woman of 2024. Her memoir Under a Pink Sky, published by Penguin, is out now in paperback.
POWERED BY KINGSLEY NAPLEY:
I know what it is to have the right legal support around you when facing crisis. Kingsley Napley are the kind of lawyers I wish more people knew about – there to help you make the right decisions, protect what matters and build real resilience when the pressure is on.
This episode is powered by Kingsley Napley, visit www.kingsleynapley.co.uk for more details.
CHAPTERS:
01:16 A Person
02:04 A Habit
03:10 A Comfort
03:39 A Piece of Advice
FOLLOW ESTHER GHEY:
Instagram – www.instagram.com/esther.ghey/
Peace in Mind UK – www.peaceinminduk.com
Under a Pink Sky – available now in paperback
FOLLOW CRISIS WHAT CRISIS?
Instagram – www.instagram.com/crisiswhatcrisispodcast
TikTok – www.tiktok.com/@crisispod

In February 2023, Esther Ghey's 16-year-old daughter Brianna was murdered in a park near their home in Warrington, in a premeditated attack by two 15-year-olds. Today, Esther is a bereaved mother, but she is also one of the most significant voices for social reform in contemporary British life.
She founded the Brianna Ghey Legacy Project, co-launched the Phone-Free Education campaign with Kate Winslet, and has helped force a national reckoning on children, smartphones and social media. She was named the Independent's Most Influential Woman of 2024 and a GQ Hero.
Her bestselling memoir Under a Pink Sky - now available in paperback - is a searing and hopeful account of love, loss and rebuilding. It is one of the most breathtaking tales of resilience I have ever read.
POWERED BY KINGSLEY NAPLEY:
I know what it is to have the right legal support around you when facing crisis. Kingsley Napley are the kind of lawyers I wish more people knew about – there to help you make the right decisions, protect what matters and build real resilience when the pressure is on.
This episode is powered by Kingsley Napley, visit www.kingsleynapley.co.uk for more details.
FIVE LESSONS FROM ESTHER:
Grief doesn't get easier – you learn to build your life around the hole the person left.
Don't blame other people for your own decisions.
Perception is everything: You can walk the same street looking down at the dog mess or up at the blossom – the choice is yours.
Mindfulness isn't a wellness trend. It's a tool that rewires how you respond to stress.
Compassion costs nothing.

CHAPTERS:
03:56 – The cherry blossom and the sign
05:20 – Growing up with mum
07:55 – Leaving school with no GCSEs, becoming a mum at 18
09:13 – The sludge-green walls and the addiction
12:17 – Why she refuses to blame anyone but herself
15:43 – Going back to school in her 30s
16:07 – Discovering mindfulness
17:51 – When Brett became Brianna
21:17 – The phone, the bedroom, the 3am email
27:24 – The day it happened
30:16 – The dream that became acceptance
32:47 – What she'd say to anyone in early grief
34:35 – Grieving in public
36:33 – Why she won't name the killers
37:55 – Meeting Emma
43:23 – Building Brianna's legacy
48:05 – Could I have done more?
51:16 – Phones don't build resilience
54:26 – Where the campaign goes next
FOLLOW ESTHER GHEY:
Instagram – www.instagram.com/esther.ghey/
Brianna Ghey Legacy Project – www.instagram.com/briannagheylegacyproject/
Phone-Free Education – www.instagram.com/phonefreeeducation/
BUY ESTHER'S BOOK:
Under a Pink Sky – www.amazon.co.uk/Under-Pink-Sky-Esther-Ghey/dp/0241738733
FOLLOW CRISIS WHAT CRISIS?
Instagram – www.instagram.com/crisiswhatcrisispodcast
TikTok – www.tiktok.com/@crisispod

Kate Bowler is one of the most thought-provoking voices on pain and suffering you'll ever encounter. Living her dream life – married to her high school sweetheart, a baby boy, and her dream job – she was diagnosed with stage four cancer just as everything fell into place.
In this bonus episode of Crisis What Crisis, I sit down with Kate to discuss her Crisis Compass. The four points of navigation that she turns to in order to help survive a crisis – a person, a habit, a comfort and a piece of advice. We'd love to know yours, let us know in the reviews...
Kate is a four-time New York Times bestseller, professor at Duke University, host of the Everything Happens podcast, and author of an exceptional Substack. Her latest book, Joyful Anyway, hit the shelves this month.
POWERED BY KINGSLEY NAPLEY:
I know what it is to have the right legal support around you when facing crisis. Kingsley Napley are the kind of lawyers I wish more people knew about – there to help you make the right decisions, protect what matters and build real resilience when the pressure is on.
This episode is powered by Kingsley Napley, visit www.kingsleynapley.co.uk for more details.
CHAPTERS:
00:49 A Person – Be a Roger: the quiet librarian who showed her what service really looks like
01:47 A Habit – Praying with her son every night
02:27 A Comfort – Roadside America, a 40-foot ceramic turtle, and how she befriended Tom Holland
03:49 A Piece of Advice – "It comes undone though, so don't skip to the end"
BUY KATE'S NEW BOOK:
Joyful Anyway – www.amazon.co.uk/Joyful-Anyway-Finding-Delight-Impossible/dp/1037202562
FOLLOW KATE BOWLER:
Instagram – www.instagram.com/katecbowler/
YouTube – www.youtube.com/@katecbowler
TikTok – www.tiktok.com/@katecbowler
Substack – https://katebowler.substack.com/
Podcast – Everything Happens
FOLLOW CRISIS WHAT CRISIS?
Instagram – www.instagram.com/crisiswhatcrisispodcast
TikTok – www.tiktok.com/@crisispod

At 35, Kate Bowler had the life she'd always wanted: she was a Duke University professor, married to her high school sweetheart, with a one-year-old son. Then she was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer.
Today, Kate is a five time New York Times bestselling author, host of the Everything Happens podcast and one of the most inspiring and unique voices on the subject of suffering, the myth of the prosperity gospel and the reality of the human condition.
POWERED BY KINGSLEY NAPLEY:
I know what it is to have the right legal support around you when facing crisis. Kingsley Napley are the kind of lawyers I wish more people knew about – there to help you make the right decisions, protect what matters and build real resilience when the pressure is on. This episode is powered by Kingsley Napley, visit www.kingsleynapley.co.uk for more details.
FIVE LESSONS FROM KATE:
Don't trust your 2 am self. Your 2 a.m. self is despairing and terrified.
People want to help. Give them small, specific ways to show they love you.
Put an expiry date on bitterness.
Saying yes opens up untold opportunities – often it’s worth it.
Happiness is cheap. Meaning isn't. A happy person isn't necessarily living a meaningful life – they're often just extremely lucky.

CHAPTERS:
04:42 – Defining resilience
10:49 – Growing up with depressed person
14:46 – The prosperity gospel
16:48 – When it all came apart
20:33 – The diagnosis
22:07 – Performing gratitude
35:23 – Rules for surviving cancer
43:33 – The reality of being cured
45:12 – Joyful Anyway
48:19 – The happiness industry
51:23 – On stoicism
55:35 – Fear, sharks and risk
58:18 – Tasked with love
BUY KATE'S NEW BOOK:
Joyful Anyway – www.amazon.co.uk/Joyful-Anyway-Finding-Delight-Impossible/dp/1037202562
FOLLOW KATE BOWLER:
Instagram – www.instagram.com/katecbowler/
YouTube – www.youtube.com/@katecbowler
TikTok – www.tiktok.com/@katecbowler
Substack – https://katebowler.substack.com/
Podcast – Everything Happens
FOLLOW CRISIS WHAT CRISIS?
Instagram – www.instagram.com/crisiswhatcrisispodcast
TikTok – www.tiktok.com/@crisispod

Charles Tyrwhitt founder, Nick Wheeler, started the business with just £99, a Morris Minor (with a hole rusted through the floor), and zero understanding of how you make a shirt. Today, it’s a £400m global empire – but his story is one not short of tragedy.
In this bonus episode of Crisis What Crisis, I sit down with Nick to discuss his Crisis Compass. The four points of navigation that he turns to in order to help survive a crisis – a person, a habit, a comfort and a piece of advice. We’d love to know yours, let us know in the reviews...
POWERED BY KINGSLEY NAPLEY:
I know what it is to have the right legal support around you when facing crisis. Kingsley Napley are the kind of lawyers I wish more people knew about – there to help you make the right decisions, protect what matters and build real resilience when the pressure is on.
This episode is powered by Kingsley Napley, visit www.kingsleynapley.co.uk for more details.
CHAPTERS:
00:49 A Person – Learning from your children's fresh perspective
01:33 A Habit – 474 days of Duolingo (and still can't speak Italian)
02:32 A Comfort – Singing on a Brompton around London
03:12 A Piece of Advice – Stop stressing about what you can't change
FOLLOW CHARLES TYRWHITT:
‪@charlestyrwhitt‬
Instagram – www.instagram.com/charlestyrwhitt/
YouTube – www.youtube.com/c/charlestyrwhitt
TikTok – www.tiktok.com/discover/charles-tyrwhitt
Website – https://www.charlestyrwhitt.com/uk/home
FOLLOW CRISIS WHAT CRISIS?
Instagram – www.instagram.com/crisiswhatcrisispodcast
TikTok – www.tiktok.com/@crisispod