Mastering Change | The trauma, mental health & wellbeing podcast

Therapist, author and anti-oppressive practitioner Myira Khan believes that healing cannot be separated from identity, culture, faith or belonging. 
In this episode of Mastering Change, Emma Stapleton and Dr Keisha Siriboe explore how these different dimensions of our lives shape the way we experience the world, our relationships and our wellbeing. 
At the heart of the conversation is Myira's Rubik's Cube metaphor for identity. Rather than seeing identity as something fixed, just as different faces of the Cube come into view as it turns, she explains how different aspects of ourselves come into focus depending on the people around us, the environments we are in and the experiences we carry. It is a simple but powerful reminder that no one can be understood through a single label. 
Together they discuss anti-oppressive practice, faith-sensitive wellbeing, power, privilege and why creating genuinely inclusive spaces requires more than good intentions. Throughout the conversation, Myira invites us to replace assumptions with curiosity and to recognise the complexity that exists within every person we meet.  
We explore: 
What anti-oppressive practice looks like in everyday care 
Why identity shifts across different relationships and environments 
The role of faith in wellbeing and healing 
What creates genuine belonging 
Why curiosity matters more than assumptions 
How lived experience shapes the way we understand others 
Moment of Care: This episode discusses sensitive topics related to trauma, mental health and distressing experiences. If you feel triggered at any point, please take a moment to check in with yourself and seek support. 
Myira Khan at Transform Trauma Oxford 2026

This September, Myira Khan will join us at Transform Trauma Oxford 2026 for her session, Radical Healing: Integrating Anti-Oppressive Self-Care, Spirituality, Social Justice and Relational Growth for Well-being. 

Drawing on research, clinical practice and lived experience, Myira will explore how identity, spirituality, relationships and anti-oppressive practice can support sustainable wellbeing for both practitioners and clients. She will also take part in several panel discussions throughout the conference.

If you'd like to explore these ideas in greater depth, this is an opportunity to experience Myira's work in person, alongside leading experts Gabor Maté, Bessel van der Kolk, Tara Swart, Prentis Hemphill, Rangan Chatterjee, Linda Thai, Shi Heng Yi and Jack Kornfield.

Now get 20% off with code SUMMER20 at checkout. The discount applies to tickets only – accommodation and evening events are priced separately.

GET YOUR DISCOUNTED TICKET NOW
Watch this episode on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/masteringchangepodcast
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Visit mastersevents.com/oxford-2026 for more details.

Frontline workers are trained to stay calm in the middle of extraordinary situations. But trauma does not always show itself during the crisis.  
In this episode of Mastering Change, clinical psychologist and researcher Nicola Cogan explores the hidden psychological impact of frontline work. Drawing on both research and clinical experience, she explains why repeated exposure to suffering can accumulate over time, why many professionals struggle to seek help and what organisations can do to better support the people who spend their lives supporting others. 
We discuss: 
Why trauma often emerges after the crisis has passed 
The hidden impact of cumulative stress and repeated exposure 
Burnout and the physical toll of caring 
Why many frontline workers wait years before seeking support 
Creating psychologically safer workplaces 
Supporting families as well as frontline workers 
How digital tools may help increase access to support  
Moment of Care: This episode discusses sensitive topics related to trauma, mental health and distressing experiences. If you feel triggered at any point, please take a moment to check in with yourself and seek support. 
Watch this episode on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/masteringchangepodcast
Follow us on instagram: www.instagram.com/masterseventsltd
Visit mastersevents.com/oxford-2026 for more details.

Why do we crave sugar when we are stressed? Why does coffee sometimes feel essential? And why can changing our diet feel so difficult even when we know what is "healthy"? 
This week on Mastering Change, Emma speaks with nutritionist and somatic practitioner Luis Mojica about the relationship between food, trauma and the nervous system. 
Drawing on his Food Therapy approach, Luis explains why many cravings are about far more than physical hunger. Instead, they may reflect how our nervous system is trying to regulate stress, seek   safety or meet unmet emotional needs. Rather than viewing food through the familiar lens of willpower, restriction or “good” and “bad” choices, Luis invites us to think about our relationship with food itself. What if our cravings are not something to fight, but something to understand? 
One of the most thought-provoking ideas in the conversation is that healing is not always about changing what we eat. It may begin with understanding why we reach for certain foods in the first place. 
We explore: 
How trauma and chronic stress influence eating patterns 
What cravings can reveal about emotional and physiological needs 
How food can help regulate the nervous system 
The role of stimulants, depressants and balancing foods 
Why our relationship with food reflects the state of our nervous system 
Why feeling safety is more than being safe 
Moment of Care: This episode discusses sensitive topics related to trauma, mental health and distressing experiences. If you feel triggered at any point, please take a moment to check in with yourself and seek support. 
Watch this episode on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/masteringchangepodcast
Follow us on instagram: www.instagram.com/masterseventsltd
Visit mastersevents.com/oxford-2026 for more details.

Many of us think of healing as something we do on our own. 
We focus on understanding ourselves, regulating our nervous system and working through our patterns in private. But what if healing is not something that happens outside of relationship? 
This week on Mastering Change, writer, therapist and somatic facilitator Prentis Hemphill explores why connection is not simply something that supports healing but an essential part of it. 
Drawing on their work in embodied leadership and collective healing, Prentis explains how trauma can disrupt our sense of safety, belonging and connection with others. Healing is not only about changing what happens within us. It is also about learning how to remain present, authentic and connected with those around us. 
One of the most thought-provoking parts of the conversation explores friendship. Together, we discuss why so many adults find friendship unexpectedly vulnerable, why longing for connection can feel uncomfortable and how fear, self-protection and defensiveness can shape the way we relate to others. 
In this episode, we explore: 
Why trauma is fundamentally relational 
Friendship, vulnerability and belonging 
Love, control and self-protection 
Rupture, repair and accountability 
How defensiveness shapes our relationships 
Everyday practices for building deeper connection 
Prentis Hemphill is also joining us at Transform Trauma Oxford 2026. In their keynote, The Three Body States, they will expand on many of these ideas, bringing together stress science, embodiment and spiritual awareness to explore how clinicians can help people access the internal, relational and spiritual resources that support lasting healing.  
Secure your tickets here
Moment of Care: This episode discusses sensitive topics related to trauma, mental health and distressing experiences. If you feel triggered at any point, please take a moment to check in with yourself and seek support. 
Watch this episode on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/masteringchangepodcast
Follow us on instagram: www.instagram.com/masterseventsltd
Visit mastersevents.com/oxford-2026 for more details.

For most professional athletes, sport is not simply something they do. It becomes part of who they are. 
Years of training, competition and sacrifice shape their identity, relationships and sense of purpose. Success and failure are experienced publicly. The routine is familiar. The goal is always clear. 
But what happens when that identity no longer fits? 
This week on Mastering Change, Emma and DK are joined by Robbie Tubajon, Vice President of Leadership Development at Pro Athlete Community, to explore the psychological transition many athletes face when their sporting careers come to an end. 
Robbie explains why retirement from professional sport can feel less like a changing career change and more like the loss of a part of yourself. Together, they discuss the grief, uncertainty and disorientation that can emerge when the role that has shaped your life for decades suddenly disappears. 
One of the most striking ideas in the conversation is that the very qualities that drive elite performance can become challenges in the next chapter of life. The inner critic, relentless discipline and constant pursuit of achievement do not always disappear when the game ends. 
We explore: 
Why life after sport can feel like a loss of identity 
The emotional impact of transitioning out of elite performance 
How fear, shame and uncertainty emerge during major life changes 
Why community plays such an important role in rebuilding identity 
Rediscovering purpose beyond achievement 
What high performers can teach us about resilience, growth and belonging  
A conversation about identity, transition and who we become when performance no longer defines us. 
Moment of Care: This episode discusses sensitive topics related to trauma, mental health and distressing experiences. If you feel triggered at any point, please take a moment to check in with yourself and seek support. 
Watch this episode on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/masteringchangepodcast
Follow us on instagram: www.instagram.com/masterseventsltd
Visit mastersevents.com/oxford-2026 for more details.