The Lonely Chapter

For the 100th episode of The Lonely Chapter, my partner Molly interviews me.
We talk about why I started the podcast, what The Lonely Chapter means, and what I’ve learned from a hundred conversations about identity, growth, mental health, resilience, and connection.
We also get into the personal side of podcasting - the self-doubt, the pressure, the vulnerability, and the hope that these conversations might help someone feel less alone.
Whether you’ve been here from the start or this is your first episode, thank you for listening.
Takeaways
→ Why I started The Lonely Chapter
→ What “the lonely chapter” means
→ What 100 conversations taught me about growth, identity and purpose
→ Mental health, resilience and vulnerability
→ The personal cost of building a podcast

Lily Kerbey is a singer and performer who built a career in a very different way to the one she first imagined.
Only a few years ago, Lily was working as a high school music teacher and was completely burnt out. She was mentally and physically unwell, stressed, and knew something had to change. Since then, she has left teaching, built her own path in music, and become known for bringing rock and alternative songs into weddings and live shows in a way that feels completely her own.
In this conversation, we talk about what burnout actually felt like, why leaving teaching no longer felt optional, and how Lily slowly built a life that fit her better. We also talk about imposter syndrome, social media pressure, fulfillment, loneliness, risk, and what happens when the thing that makes you different becomes the thing people connect with most.
This is a conversation about identity, stress, reinvention, and the courage it takes to walk away from a life that looks stable on the outside but feels wrong underneath.

Lily's Links:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lilykerbeymusic/
Website: https://www.lilykerbeymusic.co.uk/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1YCBUpATdNZrOkwe5xzDJK

What does real strength actually look like?
In this episode, I sit down with psychotherapist and resilience coach James Elliott for a conversation about resilience, trauma, identity, emotional control, and the lessons he took from his time in the military.
James brings both lived experience and professional expertise to these topics, which makes this a very grounded conversation. We talk about how many people misunderstand strength, why resilience is about more than just enduring pain, and how childhood experiences and learned behaviours shape the way we respond to life.
We also explore why James joined the military, what that environment gave him, what it taught him to unlearn, and how self-awareness can help us challenge old patterns and respond differently under pressure.

We cover:
→ What strength really is
→ Why resilience is more than just surviving hard things
→ Why James joined the military
→ What the military taught him about fitness, pressure, and decisiveness
→ Identity, labels, and mental health
→ Self-awareness, subconscious reactions, and changing behaviour
→ Why many mental health struggles may be rooted in wider life circumstances

James Elliott Links
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jameselliottofficial
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-elliott-msc-8360a41b5/

What happens when life-changing events force you to re-evaluate everything?
In this episode, I sit down with John Merriman, founder of Crown Lane Studio in South London. We talk about the river accident that changed the course of his life, the values behind Crown Lane, and how life-changing events can reshape what matters most.
John also speaks very openly about losing his wife Ruth, what grief changed in him, and how his Christian faith has been tested and sustained through difficult chapters. We explore what people often misunderstand about grief, how suffering can alter the way you see life, and what it means to keep building something rooted in community, care and purpose.
We also talk about suicide, recognising when someone is struggling, and what fostering has taught John about love, responsibility and hope.
Links
Crown Lane Studio: https://crownlanestudio.co.uk
Metronome: https://metronome.life

Following the recent Louis Theroux documentary on the manosphere, I sat down again with George from The Tin Men to talk about why so many boys and young men are being pulled towards harmful messages online, and what often gets missed underneath that conversation.
We talk about fatherlessness, the lack of positive male role models, how boys are spoken about in schools and society, men’s mental health, domestic abuse against men, and why gender issues are so often framed like a zero-sum game.
This is a conversation about what boys are growing up around, what men are carrying, and what it would actually look like to take their struggles seriously without turning that into a criticism of women.
Takeaways:
→ Why the manosphere appeals to boys and young men
→ The role fatherlessness and missing male role models may be playing
→ Why men’s mental health and domestic abuse against men are still overlooked
→ How schools, media, and culture shape the way boys see themselves
→ Why gender issues are so often framed like a zero-sum game
Follow George:
→ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetinmen/
→ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheTinMenBlog
→ Website: https://thetinmen.blog/
→ X: https://x.com/TheTinMenBlog
→ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thetinmen