Dial Emma

Welcome back to Dial Emma, and to our new miniseries, The Truth. This week, we're exploring the uncomfortable truths about success, that most of us are feeling but not saying out loud.Our listener is 44 and finally has the life that she spent the last decade working towards - a long marriage, healthy children, a senior job, a nice house. So why does it feel like a trap, instead of a victory? And how do we find ourselves living a life that we thought we wanted, but that constantly demands things of us?In this episode, Emma explores the shame that we attach to feelings of dissatisfaction with a life that looks objectively desirable, the midlife audit that many of us go through in our 40s and 50s, and why building a 'successful' life and one that aligns with who you are, are not always identical projects.Dial Emma is hosted by Emma Reed Turrell, produced by Lauren Brook.---Book my 2027 women's retreat at Bliss House in Crete: https://bliss-house-experience.replit.appBook a place on my Woodland Wellbeing Day Retreat with Alice Crowe: https://www.alicecroweceramics.co.uk/product/woodland-wellbeing-day-retreat-with-emma-reed-turrell-alice-croweSocial media:Emma Reed Turrell @emmareedturrellDial Emma @dialemmapodcastEmail: contact@dial-emma.uk

Welcome back to Dial Emma! I have a new miniseries for you, lovely listeners, that I'm calling The Truth - exploring the uncomfortable, illicit truths that we often feel like we aren't supposed to say out loud.In this first episode, we hear from a listener who is pregnant with her second child, but still mourning the version of herself before she became a mother for the first time.Can we love the life we have right now, and long for an old one, at exactly the same time? Are we allowed to feel more than one thing at once: appreciation for the life we chose, and grief for what was displaced in the process?Dial Emma is hosted by Emma Reed Turrell, produced by Lauren Brook.---Book my 2027 women's retreat at Bliss House in Crete: https://bliss-house-experience.replit.appSocial media:Emma Reed Turrell @emmareedturrellDial Emma @dialemmapodcastEmail: contact@dial-emma.uk

Welcome back to Dial Emma and to the third episode of this mini-series on reframes.This week, we hear from a listener who wonders if she is having a breakdown...while I wonder whether it's the first honest version of her life.In her own words, our 47-year-old listener feels as though she has 'blown up her life,' after ending her marriage of twenty years, moving into a rented house and trying to navigate midlife, dating apps and new identity as a single mother. Is freedom and autonomy just a false fantasy? Or is that collapse we feel after a big life shift simply evidence that we've stopped trying to maintain a life that doesn't fit?Dial Emma is hosted by Emma Reed Turrell, produced by Lauren Brook.---Social media:Emma Reed Turrell @emmareedturrellDial Emma @dialemmapodcastEmail: contact@dial-emma.uk

Hello, lovely listeners! Welcome back to Dial Emma and to my brand new mini-series on reframes.This week, we hear from a 27-year-old listener who feels as though she missed the life handbook that everyone else got. Her peers are getting married, having children, buying houses: meanwhile, she lives in a house share, with a mouldy bathroom and one shelf in the fridge to call her own.Does everything need to feel certain in our twenties? Do we need to have a five-year-plan? Or can we find ways to intentionally inhabit a life that feels joyful right now, without a clear destination?Dial Emma is hosted by Emma Reed Turrell, produced by Lauren Brook.---Social media:Emma Reed Turrell @emmareedturrellDial Emma @dialemmapodcastEmail: contact@dial-emma.uk

In honour of International Women’s Day, Dial Emma presents The Unsaid – a four-part mini-series exploring the emotional realities many women are living with, but rarely have language for. Each episode features two listener dilemmas and twenty minutes of thoughtful, compassionate reflection on the inner work women are doing beneath the surface of competence, independence and survival.This is the fourth and final episode of The Unsaid mini-series, and this week we're talking about grief - but perhaps not in the way you might think.We hear from two listeners who are both struggling to navigate their unique experiences of grief. One is experiencing the loss of the person she thought she would become and the life she thought she would live, while the other survived something traumatic and is now grieving for the parts of herself that she lost in the process.How do we move forward in the wake of survival, knowing that it came at a cost? Can we ever make meaning from the chaos of the grief experience?---Dial Emma is hosted by Emma Reed Turrell, produced by Lauren Brook.---Social media:Emma Reed Turrell @emmareedturrellDial Emma @dialemmapodcastEmail: contact@dial-emma.uk

In honour of International Women’s Day, Dial Emma presents The Unsaid – a four-part mini-series exploring the emotional realities many women are living with, but rarely have language for. Each episode features two listener dilemmas and twenty minutes of thoughtful, compassionate reflection on the inner work women are doing beneath the surface of competence, independence and survival.In this week's episode, I explore the unseen emotional burdens women often carry for others. Many of us become “emotional regulators,” constantly soothing, managing, and fixing for family, friends and even colleagues, but it's often at the cost of our own wellbeing.I dive into why this pattern forms, how resentment and guilt signal crossed boundaries, and the crucial distinction between being present and being responsible for others’ feelings. I also share some practical strategies for caring without carrying, including setting boundaries, tolerating discomfort, and how to let relationships wobble without collapsing.---Dial Emma is hosted by Emma Reed Turrell, produced by Lauren Brook.---Social media:Emma Reed Turrell @emmareedturrellDial Emma @dialemmapodcastEmail: contact@dial-emma.uk

Welcome back to Dial Emma! Each week, I'll be answering your dilemmas with honesty, empathy, and a few therapeutic truth bombs to help you make sense of life's stickiest moments. If you've ever wished you had a therapist in your back pocket, Dial Emma is here to help.This week on the podcast, I'm responding to a listener dilemma all about empathy - and who better to help me answer it than an integrative psychotherapist who describes herself as someone who 'empathises for a living,' Aimee Cliff.Aimee joins me to explore the complexities of empathy, emotional sensitivity, and the challenges faced by those who feel deeply for others. We discuss the burden of emotional intuition, the importance of setting boundaries, and the impact of childhood experiences on one's ability to manage empathy. Aimee also emphasises the importance of self-care, and understanding the difference between genuine emotional connection and anxiety-driven responses.If you have a dilemma for Emma, please fill out this form. To pre-order Aimee's book, click here. ---Dial Emma is hosted by Emma Reed Turrell, produced by Lauren Brook.---Social media:Emma Reed Turrell @emmareedturrellDial Emma @dialemmapodcastEmail: contact@dial-emma.uk

Welcome back to Dial Emma! Each week, I'll be answering your dilemmas with honesty, empathy, and a few therapeutic truth bombs to help you make sense of life's stickiest moments. If you've ever wished you had a therapist in your back pocket, Dial Emma is here to help.In this bitesize episode, I'm responding to two in-the-moment dilemmas: how to escape survival mode, and how to let go of a victim mindset. I explore why survival mode is not a failure but a natural response to overwhelming circumstances, the small, manageable changes we can make to navigate it, and how reclaiming our agency and recognising our influence in the present moment can help us to feel less powerless.If you have a dilemma for Emma, please fill out this form. ---Dial Emma is hosted by Emma Reed Turrell, produced by Lauren Brook.---Social media:Emma Reed Turrell @emmareedturrellDial Emma @dialemmapodcastEmail: contact@dial-emma.uk

Welcome back to Dial Emma! Each week, I'll be answering your dilemmas with honesty, empathy, and a few therapeutic truth bombs to help you make sense of life's stickiest moments. If you've ever wished you had a therapist in your back pocket, Dial Emma is here to help.This week, I'm joined by Ali Isaac, author of Imperfect Bodies (available to pre-order now), a powerful memoir that explores motherhood, identity and the female body through the lens of Ali's experiences raising her daughter, Carys, who lives with a rare genetic disorder.Our dilemma comes from a mother of a 15-year-old daughter with cystic fibrosis, who feels overwhelmed with guilt and fear around making the transition from managing her daughter's health needs as a child, to allowing her more independence as a teenager.We talk about the challenges of parenting a child with a long-term health condition, the responsibility and guilt that often comes with it, and the importance of maintaining a strong parent-child bond. Ali also reflects on the power of open communication and finding personal fulfilment outside of caregiving, sharing her own journey of self-discovery through education and writing.If you have a dilemma for Emma, please fill out this form. ---Dial Emma is hosted by Emma Reed Turrell, produced by Lauren Brook.---Social media:Emma Reed Turrell @emmareedturrellDial Emma @dialemmapodcastEmail: contact@dial-emma.uk

Welcome back to Dial Emma and a very happy new year to you all!Each week, I'll be answering your dilemmas with honesty, empathy, and a few therapeutic truth bombs to help you make sense of life's stickiest moments. If you've ever wished you had a therapist in your back pocket, Dial Emma is here to help.This week, I'm joined by Dr. Emma Offord, a clinical psychologist, neurodivergence specialist and founder of Divergent Life. We're unpacking a dilemma from a listener who has been diagnosed with autism at 38. The diagnosis initially brought her relief, but now the dust has settled, she has been left with a sense of being unmoored from everything she once knew.How does this listener find her authentic self again, after a life spent blurring her true identity by people-pleasing and masking?In this episode, we discuss the challenges of receiving a neurodivergent diagnosis later in life, the complexities of identity, the societal expectations that contribute to masking, and the importance of self-acceptance and understanding our own sensory needs. Dr. Emma Offord also emphasises the need for a supportive community during the process of unmasking and embracing who we truly are.If you have a dilemma for Emma, please fill out this form. ---Dial Emma is hosted by Emma Reed Turrell, produced by Lauren Brook.---Social media:Emma Reed Turrell @emmareedturrellDial Emma @dialemmapodcastEmail: contact@dial-emma.uk

Welcome back to Dial Emma! Each week, I'll be answering your dilemmas with honesty, empathy, and a few therapeutic truth bombs to help you make sense of life's stickiest moments. If you've ever wished you had a therapist in your back pocket, Dial Emma is here to help.We're kicking off the festive season with a dilemma that sheds some light on the one family dynamic that doesn't always get the airtime: the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship. To help me explore this topic in more depth, I'm joined by Dr. Tracy Dalgleish, a clinical psychologist and relationship expert who has also written a book, You, Your Husband & His Mother.In this week's dilemma, our listener shares her struggle with feeling like a guest in her own Christmas celebrations due to her mother-in-law's controlling nature, and her husband's tendency to revert back into childhood obedience and avoid 'causing drama' at all costs. We discuss the emotional challenges of navigating difficult family dynamics, particularly at this time of year, the importance of setting boundaries and how (and when!) to approach those conversations, and Tracy's 'Vault Method', which helps couples to communicate their values and needs effectively. Tracy also highlights the six types of mothers-in-law that she outlines in her book, offering some incredibly useful insights on how to approach family gatherings with compassion and understanding.Listen to our previous episode on the Drama Triangle.---If you have a dilemma for Emma, please fill out this form. ---Dial Emma is hosted by Emma Reed Turrell, produced by Lauren Brook.---Social media:Emma Reed Turrell @emmareedturrellDial Emma @dialemmapodcastEmail: contact@dial-emma.uk

Welcome back to Dial Emma! Each week, I'll be answering your dilemmas with honesty, empathy, and a few therapeutic truth bombs to help you make sense of life's stickiest moments. If you've ever wished you had a therapist in your back pocket, Dial Emma is here to help.This week, our listener dilemma comes from a concerned mother, whose teenage daughter is struggling under the pressure to be perfect. To help me unpack it, I'm joined by Dr. Tara Porter, a chartered psychologist and author who has more than 25 years' experience in mental health - particularly in child and adolescent contexts.We delve into the impact that academic expectations can have on young people, the importance of self-reflection as a parent, and the value of allowing young people to experience failure. Tara also shares some practical steps for parents to address their own perfectionism and embrace a 'good enough' approach to life.---Find out more about Tara's work: https://www.taraporterpsychologist.com/If you have a dilemma for Emma, please fill out this form. ---Dial Emma is hosted by Emma Reed Turrell, produced by Lauren Brook.---Social media:Emma Reed Turrell @emmareedturrellDial Emma @dialemmapodcastEmail: contact@dial-emma.uk

Welcome back to Dial Emma! Each week, I'll be answering your dilemmas with honesty, empathy, and a few therapeutic truth bombs to help you make sense of life's stickiest moments. If you've ever wished you had a therapist in your back pocket, Dial Emma is here to help.In this week's episode, I explore the sharp end of love - those crossroads where heart and future pull in opposite directions.Two listeners share life-defining dilemmas that ask the same haunting question: What do you do when your heart and your future don’t want the same thing?In our first letter, a woman faces the agony of wanting children, when her long-term partner does not. To answer it, I unpack the difference between change and self-realisation, how resentment grows in the spaces where love stands still, and why sometimes two truths can both be right but no longer fit together.In our second dilemma, a happily married listener confesses to falling in love with someone else. I delve into the anatomy of emotional infidelity, the unmet needs that lie beneath attraction, and the difference between a relationship that’s wrong and one that’s simply outgrown.If you have a dilemma for Emma, please fill out this form. ---Dial Emma is hosted by Emma Reed Turrell, produced by Lauren Brook.---Social media:Emma Reed Turrell @emmareedturrellDial Emma @dialemmapodcastEmail: contact@dial-emma.uk