Dysfunctional

Alex Williams was eight years old when his mum was murdered by his stepfather.In this episode, Alex shares what it’s really like to grow up after extreme trauma, how it shaped his nervous system, identity, and relationships, and why “healing” is often misunderstood.Alex is an NHS mental health practitioner with over 20 years of experience and a suicide and self-harm prevention trainer. He brings both lived experience and frontline insight into what actually helps people after childhood trauma, and what doesn’t.We talk about:Growing up after domestic abuse and parental homicideWhy safety matters more than therapy in the early stages of traumaThe long-term impact of unprocessed grief in childhoodCompassion fatigue in mental health and helping professionsWhy forgiveness is not required for healingHow the mental health system labels people instead of holding themPhone addiction, numbing, and modern forms of escapeMeaning, survival, and choosing a life after traumaThis is a raw, honest conversation about loss, resilience, and what it means to live a good life after something unimaginable.If you grew up in dysfunction, abuse, or emotional neglect, this episode will likely resonate.Find Alex here - https//instagram.com/thealexjwilliamshttps//tiktok.com/thealexjwilliamshttps//www.linkedin.com/thealexjwilliams Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Trauma doesn’t just live in your head. It can shut down your voice too. Vocal coach Claire Delaney joins me to talk C-PTSD, nervous system survival, toxic industry culture, and finding your voice again."Claire is a vocal coach who works with singers and actors whose voices have to hold up under real-world pressure. She’s coached performers across the West End, Broadway, and the National Theatre, and has worked for Italia Conti and ITV’s Mamma Mia: I Have a Dream. Her approach is trauma-aware and shaped by the belief that you can’t separate a voice from the person using it. Her work blends science, psychology, and practical technique, with a lens shaped by lived-experience. She helps performers rebuild the physical, emotional, and technical foundations of their voice, aiming for long-term reliability, confidence, and self-trust to make singing actually enjoyable again."Instagram: @clairedelaney.vocalcoach Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode I’m joined by Jared Shurin, a strategic communications specialist who works in counter extremism, violent radicalisation, misinformation, and social cohesion. We dig into the psychology of people who reach the point of extreme violence, why it often starts with the loss of trust, hope and faith, and how communication can pull people back from the edge.We talk about:How people become vulnerable to radicalisationThe link between extremism, suicidality, and hopelessnessWhy most people sit in the exhausted moderate middleThe role of belonging, community, and agency in preventionHow governments, NGOs and everyday people can reduce social harmWhat actually works when trying to talk someone down from violent thinkingThis episode explores the real human drivers behind extremism, how isolation fuels dangerous behaviour, and why rebuilding local community may be our best defence.Find Jared - https://extra-fox.com/newsletter - https://raptorvelocity.beehiiv.com/https://www.instagram.com/straycarnivore/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What if those moments where you’re convinced you’re a horrible person who “shouldn’t even be here” aren’t proof that you’re broken… but that you’re in what my guest calls a shame storm?In this episode I’m joined by Melinda Delisle, MS LCCE – clinical nutritionist, former childbirth educator, and someone who has spent years navigating intense emotional dysregulation herself. We talk honestly about what it actually feels like inside a shame storm, why some of the most popular “healing tools” can make it worse, and how food, supplements and nervous system health quietly drive so much of our emotional world.We get into:- The difference between a shame swamp, a shame spiral and a full-blown shame storm- Why gratitude lists, mindfulness and “just be present” advice can feel like gaslighting when you’re in survival mode- How trauma, high sensitivity and people-pleasing set us up for chronic hypervigilance - The link between nutrition, B vitamins, SSRIs and emotional dysregulation-- Mistaking familiarity for safety – and why so many of us feel unsafe even with “nice” people- Self-parenting, accountability and facing the ways our own dysregulation can make us the “toxic” one at homeMelinda also shares a free upcoming 4-week program she’s creating to help people build awareness, have better conversations around triggers and start finding their way out of constant dysregulation.Substack: https://melindadelisle.substack.com/Free 4-week program: https://melindadelisle.com/foundation/ Instagram: @melindadelisleLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melinda-delisle/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Children with a parent in prison are some of the most invisible kids in the country. In this episode, I sit down with Sarah (founder of charity Children Heard and Seen) and Felix (communications officer) to talk about what really happens to those children when a parent goes to prison, and why nobody is officially keeping track of them.We talk about:How Children Heard and Seen supports kids in the community with mentoring, groups and one to one supportThe shocking reality of children left completely alone at home when a parent is sent to prisonWhy there is no national data on which children have a parent in prisonThe role of media, stigma and vigilante attacks on already vulnerable familiesWhy support must be child led, not focused on “fixing” the parent or forcing contactThe first ever Children with a Parent in Prison Day (25th November) and the national conferenceIf this episode moved you, please share it, talk about it with someone, and check out Children Heard and Seen to see how you can support or spread the word.Link to the conference:https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/hear-me-see-me-parental-imprisonment-lived-experience-conference-tickets-1700692921309?aff=oddtdtcreatorLink to our website: https://childrenheardandseen.co.uk/Lived Experience Blogs written by adults who had a parent in prison as a child:https://childrenheardandseen.co.uk/hidden-voices/#parentalimprisonment Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.