761. Why Aren’t People Having Kids? Meaning, Culture & Modern Life – With Mark Walsh & Dr Helen Machen-Pearce
I’m joined by Dr Helen again to explore the deeper cultural, psychological, and philosophical roots of declining birth rates across the modern world. Moving beyond economics and policy, they examine what happens when meaning, identity, and embodiment begin to erode in contemporary life. The discussion touches on everything from the role of religion and community, […]
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[description] Find out more about Julia’s work here: www.becomingourselvs.co.uk. ———————————————– Julia Vaughan Smith is a master accredited coach and supervisor, a retired registered psychotherapist and an author of three books including ‘Coaching and Trauma’, one of the very few books that deals with this topic and ‘Daughters: How to Untangle Yourself from your Mother’ which […]
759. Everything Wrong WIth Modern Trauma Therapy – WIth Mark Walsh & Dr Helen Machen-Pearce
Dr Helen Machen-Pearce joins me again to look at what’s happening in the modern trauma conversation. Trauma awareness has done enormous good, but we explore how the term is now being stretched, misunderstood, and sometimes used in ways that can disempower people rather than help them heal. We discuss the rise of self-diagnosis, the influence […]
758. Coaching Men To Better Understand Dating Women – With GS Youngblood
This week I’m joined by GS Youngblood to explore what healthy masculinity actually looks like in modern relationships. We get into masculine–feminine polarity, why so many men get stuck between “nice guy” passivity and hyper-masculine posturing, and what real relational leadership means in practice. We unpack his three-part blueprint: respond instead of react, provide structure, […]
757. Maintaining Integrity In The Personal Growth Industry – With Mark Walsh & Dr Helen Machen-Pearce
In this episode, Helen and I unpack the uncomfortable truth about manipulation in coaching and personal growth. From authority claims and social proof to trauma bonding, love bombing, and cult-like dynamics, we explore how influence can quietly become coercion. We look at red flags – dependency on the teacher, blocked disagreement, emotional state manipulation, endless […]
756. Coaching Adult Development: Leaders Who Can Handle Complexity – With Jennifer Garvey Berger
I sit down with leadership thinker and complexity expert Jennifer Garvey Berger to explore what leadership really looks like in an anxious, fast-changing world. We dig into mind traps, adult development, and why leading today isn’t about having the answers, but building the capacity to work with complexity, uncertainty, and multiple perspectives. We talk about […]
755. Coaching For Resilience In A Stressed & Addicted World – With Mark Walsh & Dr Helen Machen-Pearce
Dr Helen and I explore what resilience coaching really means in today’s stressed, overstimulated culture. We look at burnout, nervous system regulation, and why simple tools are often not enough without community, meaning, nature, and spiritual depth. We discuss coaching young men, addiction to phones, games and ultra stimulation, and how technology is actively undermining […]
754. Coaching Clients To Shift from Fear to Wisdom – With Shirzad Chamine
I’m joined by Shirzad Chamine, creator of Positive Intelligence, to explore what it really means to learn in difficult times. We talk about fear-based “saboteur” patterns, why toxic positivity makes things worse, and how negative emotions can be useful signals rather than flaws to suppress. We look at trauma as something all humans experience on […]
753. Coaching Autistic People More Effectively – With Mark Walsh & Dr Helen Machen-Pearce
In this episode I’m joined again by Dr Helen Machen-Pearce, psychiatrist and long-time autism specialist, to explore what autism really means and how it shows up in coaching, teaching, parenting, and relationships. We talk about the autism spectrum, neurodiversity, and why diagnosis has changed so much over the years. Helen shares how sensory processing, predictability, […]
752. The Future Of Wellbeing Coaching – With Mark Walsh & Dr Helen Machen Pearce
Dr Helen joins me again this week to unpack what well-being coaching really looks like in practice, and why it matters so much right now. We talk about burnout, ageing, energy, motivation, and how staying mentally healthy can feel like a part-time job in today’s world. We explore why health is always multifactorial, the dangers […]