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That's come round quickly, hasn't it!Here's Episode Eight of Series Two with Chief Executive of Grand Union Housing Group, Aileen Evans :)Aileen  has had a career spanning over 30 years in housing and in her role as Group Chief Executive oversees everything at Grand Union Housing Group. She believes passionately that building properly affordable rented homes is a key part of solving the housing crisis.Aileen was voted President of the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) and began her 12 months in the role in November 2019. As part of her presidency, she has started a campaign to shine a light on mental health in housing.Thanks for listening to The Stress Sessions.If you enjoy the episode or any of the others, please share with friends, family, or anyone who you think they may help.-----------On a side note, I'm not a professional in this field, nor do I claim to be. These podcasts are purely based on my own, personal experiences, and those of my guests, alongside some simple hints and tips along the way.If you are suffering from a mental illness, there are lots of amazing charities that will be able to help you by offering professional advice. You'll be able to find these here. 

You've made it to episode seven of the series, so congratulations!In The Stress Sessions this week, I'm speaking to Ospreys rugby union player, Lloyd Ashley, who was an absolute gent and was actually my first podcast record of series two!Lloyd has his own mental health project, Living Well With Lloyd Ashley - which he launched during the first lockdown in April 2020 - so we had a good chat about that, alongside how up and coming rugby union players are being educated about mental health awareness, his personal struggles of the past year, and what plans he has for the future.Thanks for listening to The Stress Sessions.If you enjoy the episode or any of the others, please share with friends, family, or anyone who you think they may help.-----------On a side note, I'm not a professional in this field, nor do I claim to be. These podcasts are purely based on my own, personal experiences, and those of my guests, alongside some simple hints and tips along the way.If you are suffering from a mental illness, there are lots of amazing charities that will be able to help you by offering professional advice. You'll be able to find these here. 

Hello and welcome back to The Stress Sessions!I've gone local this week, and have been speaking to influencer, Disclosure Magazine Editor and Channel 4's 'Britain's Best Parents' contender, Hannah Armitage.After suffering from various mental illnesses through the years, Hannah tells her story of a horrendous traumatic experience that took place exactly five years ago, which COMPLETELY changed her life.Some of the chat is about physical violence and abuse, so some listeners may find the conversation distressing. But this is Hannah's story, so I have left in all of the major life-changing experiences in. I hope you don't mind.Thanks for listening to The Stress Sessions.If you enjoy the episode or any of the others, please share with friends, family, or anyone who you think they may help.-----------On a side note, I'm not a professional in this field, nor do I claim to be. These podcasts are purely based on my own, personal experiences, and those of my guests, alongside some simple hints and tips along the way.If you are suffering from a mental illness, there are lots of amazing charities that will be able to help you by offering professional advice. You'll be able to find these here. 

Hey! And thanks again for tuning in!This week, I'm speaking to Exeter (UK) based artist, LP-EDITS, who's a concept abstract artist - and someone who I've been following for a number of years now.Having been a massive fan of his work... pretty much from when he started doing it, I took a punt and asked LP (aka Lewis), onto The Stress Sessions. And we had a good, honest chat about mental health stigmas, coping mechanisms - there's even a little bit about art thrown in there too!It's also the FIRST EVER podcast giveaway for The Stress Sessions too - there's a key word or phrase hidden somewhere within the podcast that you'll need to remember - then watch out for a post from the @StressSessions Instagram account to enter! But make sure you remember the word or phrase - that's the KEY part :)Anyway, enjoy this week's episode of The Stress Sessions with LP-EDITS!If you enjoy the episode or any of the others, please share with friends, family, or anyone who you think they may help.-----------On a side note, I'm not a professional in this field, nor do I claim to be. These podcasts are purely based on my own, personal experiences, and those of my guests, alongside some simple hints and tips along the way.If you are suffering from a mental illness, there are lots of amazing charities that will be able to help you by offering professional advice. You'll be able to find these here.

Welcome back to The Stress Sessions!This week, I'm speaking to award-winning author and occupational psychologist, Fiona Murden, who has, for the past year, been working closely with frontline NHS employees to help teach coping techniques for stress and anxiety throughout the global pandemic.I personally found chatting to Fiona really helpful - and even picked up some helpful tips along the way - so really feel this one is worth a listen!If you'd like to find out more about Fiona, or even take a look at her new book, 'Mirror Thinking: How Role Models Make Us Human', you can do so here.If you enjoy the episode or any of the others, please share with friends, family, or anyone who you think they may help.Thanks and have a great week.Luke-----------On a side note, I'm not a professional in this field, nor do I claim to be. These podcasts are purely based on my own, personal experiences, and those of my guests, alongside some simple hints and tips along the way.If you are suffering from a mental illness, there are lots of amazing charities that will be able to help you by offering professional advice. You'll be able to find these here.

Here we go! It's Episode Three of Series Two and I'm SO honoured to announce my next guest...If you're a bloke in a sport that uses LOTS of physical contact like boxing, wrestling or American Football, you're bound to be a tough guy with no mental health problems, right? WRONG!Well, having gone into this chat with absolutely NO knowledge of the sport, I spoke to MMA (mixed martial arts) legend-in-the-making, Mason "The Dragon" Jones about the male stigma around mental illness, his career to date... and  even squeezed in a little chat about making his UFC debut at Fight Island in Abu Dhabi in a lightweight bout against American Mike Davis on 20 January 2021.This one is NOT to be missed. Even if you know nothing about UFC, MMA or have no interest in the sport, I promise you'll learn a thing or two here - both about mental health awareness AND MMA!If you enjoy the episode or any of the others, please share with friends, family, or anyone who you think they may help.Finally, the best of luck to Mason on 20 January. With that much self-belief and dedication to his art, I can see him becoming as big as the legend that is Conor McGregor.-----------On a side note, I'm not a professional in this field, nor do I claim to be. These podcasts are purely based on my own, personal experiences, and those of my guests, alongside some simple hints and tips along the way.If you are suffering from a mental illness, there are lots of amazing charities that will be able to help you by offering professional advice. You'll be able to find these here.Thank you

Hey hey! You're listening to Episode Two of Series Two of The Stress Sessions. This week's guest is Milton Keynes food & lifestyle blogger, Sophie Etc! It was really interesting to chat to Sophie about the growth of her AMAZING blog, which identifies all of the best independent food and drink (and others!) in and around the Milton Keynes region, alongside her history of panic attacks, anxiety, and the ethos of working towards something that is within your control and that you can achieve.She also gave me some pretty helpful tips of that transition period (if you're working from home) between work and evening.So, here's The Stress Sessions with Sophie Etc!If you enjoy this episode or any of the others, please share with friends, family, or anyone who you think they may help.Thank you x-------------On a side note, I'm not a professional in this field, nor do I claim to be. These podcasts are purely based on my own, personal experiences, and those of my guests, alongside some simple hints and tips along the way.If you are suffering from a mental illness, there are lots of amazing charities that will be able to help you by offering professional advice. You'll be able to find these here.

After a three month hiatus, The Stress Sessions is back with Series Two! If this is your first listen to my podcast, then 'welcome'! Thanks for tuning in; it means a lot. I'm Luke and I suffer with anxiety and depression, having been diagnosed with generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) about five or six years ago. Since the last episode back in October, it hasn't been all plain sailing for me... in that little break, I've been busy recording lots of great podcasts for you to listen to, relate to and maybe even learn a thing or two in the process. Oh, and I've also moved house, changed jobs, have re-sought professional help about my own mental health, I think there might be a global pandemic going on... and, as I type this, am currently without internet access. To say that it's been challenging would be an understatement!So, what fantastic guest do I have for you in week one? Well, he's a professional footballer, he's 21, contracted to Manchester City (currently on loan at Doncaster Rovers), has been capped by the Welsh national team numerous times, and suffers from mental ill-health.I really enjoyed recording this episode because: 1) I LOVE football and 2) It was SO refreshing to chat to someone 10 years my minor in a high-profile position, playing in a predominantly masculine sport about his mental health.So, without further avail, please welcome Matt Smith to The Stress Sessions podcast!Oh, and if you enjoy the episode or any of the others, please share with friends, family, or anyone who you think they may help.IT'S GOOD TO BE BACK!------------------On a side note, I'm not a professional in this field, nor do I claim to be. These podcasts are purely based on my own, personal experiences, and those of my guests, alongside some simple hints and tips along the way. If you are suffering from a mental illness, there are lots of amazing charities that will be able to help you by offering professional advice. You'll be able to find these here.Thank you

Hi everyone! I've been looking forward to releasing this episode all week... it's one of the best I've recorded - not just because I personally enjoyed chatting to someone that I haven't had the chance to properly catch up with for a while, but because it was the first time I have talked about I few of the topics that came up.So, what can I say about Episode 10: The One With the Grand Finale?Well, it's full of coping techniques, a very frank discussion on suicidal thoughts, how 2020 has completely changed our outlooks on life... and about Paul's new acting career.It's a good one - and also the last of this series - so, sit back, relax, and enjoy Episode 10 of The Stress Sessions.Thank you for your ongoing support, and for continuing to download, share and subscribing to this rollercoaster ride of a podcast!See you in 2021 :)Peace and love, LukeX

Apologies in advance to all of my other guests, but I was VERY EXCITED to record this episode. Episode Nine: The One With the Legendary Gills Striker (and *Lewis Hamilton).It was SO, SO CLOSE to the wire, but at 21:59 on transfer deadline day, I managed to sign up former Gillingham FC, Reading, Brentford and Sheffield Utd striker, Carl Asaba, to come on and chat football (obviously) and all things mental health on The Stress Sessions.With over 100 career goals, appearing in two Division Two Play-off Finals, and after coming up against the likes of ex-England international, Rio Ferdinand, it's safe to say Carl didn't find it too difficult finding the back of the net. I even got the chance to see him score in one of the Play-off Finals for Gillingham FC at the old Wembley Stadium. And although the Gills didn't win the match against Manchester City (bloody Paul Dickov and Shaun Goater), it was such a memorable day as an eight or nine year old fan.But what happened once he retired at the age of 33 due to injury? How was it dealing with mental health issues over 20 years ago as a footballer? What does he think about Mesut Ozil being left out of the current Arsenal squad, but is still bagging £350,000 a week?Well, you'll need to listen to Episode Nine to find out!(*Disclaimer: Lewis Hamilton is Carl Asaba's dog... the F1 World Champion sadly doesn't make an appearance on this episode).

Here we bloody go. Episode Eight: The One With the Big Announcement.This week, I talk about World Mental Health Day - the MASSIVE competition with Percy's BBQ Milton Keynes. You might even find out the winner...I also talk about my learnings, having watched the 'Freddie Flintoff: Living With Bulimia' programme, which recently aired on BBC1, the importance of mental health awareness in the workplace, starting a new job and Mental Health First Aider training - which I have just booked onto! Have a lovely week and, of course, please download, like, share and let me know what you think. Thank you for your continued support.X

It's time to check in. Grab your mobile and phone a friend, family member or colleague.Everyone needs a little chat about how they're feeling from time to time and this is the chance for you to speak to one of your mates who you've not had the chance to natter to for a while. Or your brother, Auntie or cousin that you might have had a heart-to-heart with yesterday. Even Will from work, Carol from the corner shop, Mohammed your mechanic. They all have feelings, which means they'll all need to borrow an ear from time to time.Go on, make someone's day a little bit better. You'll feel better for it, trust me.X

Yo, yo, yo! A HUGE thank you for downloading episode seven, and for your continued support.This is The One With the Memory Jog.It was great to record, as I got to have a natter with the amazing Jess Robson, Founder of Run Talk Run, a global mental health running group where people are free to run and talk without judgement or competition. It's amaaaaaaaaaaazingggggggggg.I've recently become the leader of the Milton Keynes group (@RunTalkRun_MK), so was keen to sit down and discuss all things running, how it can really help your mental health, and a few other bits and pieces along the way!Again, cheers for downloading, and make sure you give The Stress Sessions a little share with your friends and family - and let them know about Run Talk Run too!X

It's here, it's here, episode six is here! The One With the Transatlantic Guests.I was really nervous about recording this one because it was the first time I've had two guests one the show at the same time - one a Californian influencer, Miss Adrienne Finch, and the other a former social worker and graduate from Columbia University, Mary Albertoli - who both work at The Shift.The Shift is a groundbreaking multi-platform docuseries and social movement to erase the stigma around youth mental health. And the work they're doing is amazing - check it out.Turns out, both Adrienne and Mary were totally lovely and we had a great chat about an American history of mental health in the media, the take of two continents on the Covid-19 pandemic, the stigma around men's mental health, helping the youth of today understand mental health, and much, much more! All in about 45 minutes.So you're in for a right treat.Pop in those headphones, or turn those speakers up loud, to hear the dulcet tones of an Essex-sounding bloke (me) talking to two Californians!X

Hello! Have I got an ABSOLUTE TREAT for you all this week - Episode Four: The One With the Colonel Sanders Beef.In this episode, I'm speaking to Kayleigh (sister of one of my wife's best mates), who's previously suffered from postnatal depression. And believe me, I learnt A LOT. SO MUCH. Mainly because I haven't got kids, and didn't really know anything about the topic... so a lot of research went into this (TRUST ME DADDY)!You may have noticed that postnatal depression has been a somewhat 'hot topic' this week, with actor Sheridan Smith speaking out openly about her experiences on national television, and artist, Paloma Faith announcing that she did a WHOLE TOUR whilst suffering in silence. So, so brave. Like I said, this one's really interesting, whether you're male, female... have suffered from postnatal depression, or haven't. So, grab a tea. Grab a coffee. Get some Digestives. Dunk 'em, and pop this on.Have a lovely, lovely week.X

After a two-week break, The Stress Session is back with Episode Three: The One With the Ankle Model.This time round, I'm speaking to my good friend, Emma, who's an Assistant Headteacher. As some of you will know already, lots of children are due to go back to school next week.For all the worried parents out there whose little (or big) ones are heading back to the classroom, you can find out what they can expect, how mental health education is being integrated into the curriculum, and what else the education system is doing to help your kids grow up in a VERY daunting world.Oh, and we might even talk about that time we went on holiday to Spain...Put the kettle on and let you ears have a good old listen.Thanks to everyone who's listened to the podcast already - we've now hit over 500 downloads which is AMAZING. Let's go for that big 1,000, so make sure you're sharing, subscribing, following the @StressSessions Instagram account and liking all that lovely content :)X

She's been away for a while but now she's back - here's Episode Two of The Stress Sessions podcast - and the return of the wife.This week, we delve deeper into what we really feel when we're anxious or depressed, what being anxious or depressed REALLY means outside the diagnosis, and the honest truth about marriage and having kids.Grab yourself a tea or coffee. Maybe even a beer if you're listening to this on a weekend. And hit the play button.Thanks for listening, and make sure you follow @StressSessions on Instagram, and subscribe to this podcast on your chosen podcast provider.X 

It's what you've been waiting for all week - the FIRST episode of The Stress Sessions podcast - well, technically it's the second - as last week's Pilot was the first, but never mind...This week, I speak to my oldest and dearest friend, Martin, who I met at secondary school. After bonding over clay-throwing in our A-Level art class, we've been mates for over 15 years. And it's been a real rollercoaster ride.Amazingly, this is the first time we've actually sat down and talked about our feelings. I say amazingly - apparently there's this HUGE stigma around men not speaking about how they feel - who'd have known?!Again, swearing is featured... but I have learnt how to bleep some bits out so you won't need to cover your ears as much.Grab yourself a tea or coffee. Maybe even a beer if you're listening to this on a weekend. And hit the play button.Thanks for listening, and make sure you follow @StressSessions on Instagram, and subscribe to this podcast on your chosen podcast provider.X 

It's here at last! The first EVER episode of The Stress Sessions.My lovely wife, Tara, has stepped in to be my guest for this episode, where we discuss how we met, our experience of mental health within our relationship, our best personal coping mechanisms and entering the world of adulthood.And yes, you can expect some strong language. Apologies. I swear quite a lot.So, sit back, relax, and I hope you have a stress-free session :)Make sure you like, subscribe and follow - this podcast is available on all of your usual podcasting streams!Got a question? Send me a message on Instagram @stresssessions or email me on stresssessions@gmail.com

Welcome to the trailer for The Stress Sessions, a podcast about mental health, getting married, the thought of having kids and the highs and lows of an early-30's guy living with anxiety.I'm Luke, and this is The Stress Sessions.Make sure you give me a follow on https://www.instagram.com/stresssessions/.