Begin Again with Davina McCall

In this episode of Begin Again Moments, Simon Squibb and psychotherapist Kathleen Saxton examine how the behaviour of a parent can shape the person you become long after childhood is over.

Simon shares the reality of growing up with a mother he describes as a narcissist, from being left to find his own way home at eight years old to being kicked out of home at 15, shortly after his father died. Now, as a parent himself, he reflects on the experiences he once accepted as normal.

Kathleen helps unpack what happens psychologically when a child grows up around narcissism, addiction or unpredictable behaviour. As Davina reflects on her own relationship with her mother, they discuss why children learn to keep the peace, adapt themselves to their parents and sometimes lose touch with who they really are in the process.

Both conversations examine the difficult work of revisiting childhood as an adult: recognising when something wasn’t okay, understanding why we instinctively defend our parents, and beginning to reconnect with the person we were before we learned to adapt in order to be accepted.

To hear the full conversations, watch the complete episodes on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts.
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How can you really support someone you love when they’re going through unimaginable loss?

In this moving episode of Begin Again, Mint Velvet co-founder Liz Houghton joins Davina McCall and shares the heartbreaking story of losing her 20-year-old son Will after a cycling accident, and the moment she learned his injuries were unsurvivable.

She opens up about those final weeks together, Will’s decision to become an organ donor, and why knowing his organs helped save 12 other lives has become such an important part of his legacy.

Liz also explains what grieving families really need from the people around them, why saying their loved one’s name matters, why silence can hurt more than an imperfect attempt to reach out, and how she and her family learned to grieve differently while staying connected.

Alongside her extraordinary personal story, Liz reflects on building Mint Velvet from her kitchen table after suddenly losing her 20-year career, balancing business with motherhood, and creating a company rooted in trust, friendship and purpose.

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(00:00) Intro

(01:04) Davina's Gratitude For Mint Velvet And Liz

(02:02) Working For Topshop

(04:20) Leaving Her First Fashion Job After 20 Years

(05:55) Starting Mint Velvet

(10:36) Balancing Entrepreneurship And Motherhood

(12:34) Garnier Ad

(14:26) Monzo GBL Ad

(21:36) Getting The Call About Her Son's Accident

(29:15) Donating His Organs

(32:43) How Her Son Lives On

(36:49) Monzo 90 Days Ad

(37:59) Check In On Those Who Are Grieving

(39:30) What To Do And Say With Someone Who Is Grieving

(45:01) Grieving As A Family

(52:33) Reaching Out To Her Son's Organ Recipients

(54:38) Fixing The Problems With Organ Donation

(57:56) How Liz's Donor Initiative Lives On

(01:02:51) A Letter To Liz

(01:05:19) Her Son's Foundation

Sponsored by:

Download Monzo. Monzo Current Accounts are for 16+ and UK residents. Ts&Cs Apply.

Join the 'Say Yes Club' and hear more about our events here - https://events.beginagainshow.com/

You could get back less than you invest. Monzo current account required. Monzo investments are for UK residents, 18+. Ts&Cs apply.

Garnier Nutrisse: UK's NO1 hair dye, chosen by 2 million women. Davina is shade 5 Mocha Brown. Find yours: www.garnier.co.uk/our-brands/hair-colour/nutrisse-creme
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In this episode of Begin Again Moments, two powerful conversations explore what happens when you hit rock bottom and how you begin to rebuild your life.

Sarah Hiscox and Trinny Woodall open up about their experiences of addiction, the moments they realised their lives had become unmanageable and what it really took to choose recovery.

Sarah reflects on losing her marriage and children as her heroin addiction took hold, while Trinny shares her experience of rehab, relapse, and finally reaching the point where she was ready to get sober.

Together, they explore why hitting rock bottom can look different for everyone, why you have to be ready to change and the difficult journey of rebuilding your life after addiction.

To hear the full conversations, watch the complete episodes on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts.
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How do we find hope when the world feels increasingly overwhelming?

In this episode of Begin Again, Caitlin Moran joins Davina McCall for a funny, moving and hopeful conversation about love, anxiety, feminism, loneliness and finding your way back to joy.

Caitlin opens up about experiencing her first panic attack at 13, after revealing her family were living on benefits, and how anxiety became the fuel that drove her extraordinary career.

Decades later, she reached breaking point and realised: “I can’t be this scared anymore.” She shares how she finally broke up with anxiety and why she wishes she had done it 30 years earlier.

She and Davina also explore the growing crisis facing men, why loneliness and social media are leaving us disconnected, and the simple changes Caitlin believes can help us feel hopeful again, from putting down our phones to reconnecting with our communities.

Caitlin also reflects on growing up poor, writing her first novel as a teenager, her 33-year relationship with husband Pete, and the extraordinary night she went clubbing with Lady Gaga.

🌟Like, comment and subscribe for more honest conversations about purpose, resilience, love, loss and beginning again.

Follow us here:

📸www.instagram.com/beginagain

🎥https://www.tiktok.com/@beginagainpod

✨Sign up for the Begin Again newsletter for behind-the-scenes access, recommendations and much more: https://linkly.link/2g2xm

Follow Caitlin here: https://www.instagram.com/mscaitlinmoran/

Buy ‘How to be Hopeful - A Year of Attempting to Feel Less Awful About the World’ by Caitlin Moran, Ebury Press, £22

Purchase tickets to Caitlin’s book tour here: https://www.gigantic.com/caitlin-moran-tickets

We'd love you to share your Get Busy Living stories with us at https://getbusyliving.beginagainshow.com/

(00:00) Intro

(01:11) Caitlin's New Book

(03:22) The Impact Of "How To Be A Woman"

(06:09) Foreseeing The Masculinity Crisis

(09:15) Being An Enthusiast vs. A Critic

(12:01) Writing About Hope

(13:00) The Value Of In-Person Connection

(18:56) Monzo GBL Ad

(20:27) Developing Anxiety At 13

(24:50) Learning To Write

(27:03) The Journey Out Of Poverty

(31:57) Her First Publishing Deal

(35:14) Monzo 90 Days Ad

(36:23) Caitlin's 'How To Be Hopeful' List

(43:11) Do This To Improve Your Own Happiness

(52:05) Clubbing In Berlin With Lady Gaga

(57:37) Finally Getting Over Anxiety

(01:02:49) Her 26 Year Marriage

(01:08:40) Inclusive Forms Of Feminism

Sponsored by:

Download Monzo. Monzo Current Accounts are for 16+ and UK residents. Ts&Cs Apply.

Join the 'Say Yes Club' and hear more about our events here - https://events.beginagainshow.com/

You could get back less than you invest. Monzo current account required. Monzo investments are for UK residents, 18+. Ts&Cs apply.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gary Lineker and Patsy Kensit join Davina for a special Moments episode about marriage, love and life.

Full episodes available now wherever you get your podcasts!

Sponsored by:

Garnier Nutrisse: UK's NO1 hair dye, chosen by 2 million women. Davina is shade 5 Mocha Brown. Find yours: www.garnier.co.uk/our-brands/hair-colour/nutrisse-creme
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices