The Emma Guns Show Emma Gunavardhana

This episode was first published in February 2022.
My guest on this episode of the podcast is Ruby Wax. She is a writer, comedian, mental health campaigner and author and someone whose interviews over the years inspired me so it’s quite something to be interviewing her for this podcast…
Ruby joins me in this episode to talk about her latest book And Now For The Good News - the much-needed tonic for our frazzled world.
If you feel utterly distraught at the constant negative news cycle - the climate crisis, increasing costs of living, injustice, Covid and, as this episode goes live, the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, then you may have stopped searching for the light of hope on the horizon.
You may just assume that there’s only bad news out there in the world to be shared. Here’s the thing, if all we ever expect is bad news. If we assume that there is only bad news that chain reaction can make us feel hopeless, and helpless and fall into that space where we wake up in the morning and think ‘what’s the point?’ 
As someone whose particular shape and shade of depression took this form, a chronic apathy that eventually suffocated everything, I see this bad news cycle as something that can trigger the same feelings - even in the most hopeful of souls.
Perhaps Ruby thought this too, which is why she went on a global search to find the good search. 
If you don’t know the light is there, you won’t know to see it. And so Ruby compiled all her findings into the book so we can all see there is hope and to equip us with a positive approach for a brighter world and, most importantly, for a better collective mental wellbeing.
Ruby has been open about her own mental health issues over the years, something that was a source of great comfort to me at a time when I needed it, so during our conversation, I also quizzed her about how she emerged from her own struggles, the coping mechanisms she put in place and what she learned from a masters degree in cognitive-based therapy from Oxford University.
I came away from the conversation feeling so inspired, not least because speaking to Ruby it was a reminder to always be curious about the world around you rather than scared of it, how vulnerability can immediately neutralise tension and how, though it might feel hard sometimes, it’s important to look for and follow the light, because it is there.
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Weight loss drugs are a hot topic, but are they a magic pill or is there a dark side to drugs such as Ozempic? Johann Hari has spent years investigating the genesis of the drug, how it works, as well as the benefits and the risks, plus he is also taking it. In this episode, we discuss how impactful these drugs could be on society, the risks that go hand-in-hand with taking them and why we've been conditioned to eat the kinds of food that could make us need these drugs in the first place.
Johann's book Magic Pill is out now.
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You can't have failed to notice the conversation around weight loss drugs such as Ozempic but are they a wonder drug or should we approach them with extreme caution? Johann Hari joins me in an upcoming episode to talk about the years of extensive research he's done into this drug, as well as taking it himself, and what we need to know about this magic pill.
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This episode was originally published in March 2023.
One of the great privileges of creating this podcast is getting to see the world through the lens of other people’s experiences. Seeing the world through Sabrina’s eyes was utterly enthralling.
She experienced homelessness in her teens, now holds one of the most senior positions in the Fire Brigade and has multiple qualifications making her an expert leading international expert on risk-critical decision-making in crises.
I ask all my guests, ‘What’s your relationship like with risk?’ and as someone whose day job involves dealing with something as unpredictable as fire, Sabrina’s answers are a perspective I hadn’t heard before. 
What an incredible guest, and now friend, whose primary mission in life is to pay it forward.
Sabrina’s book The Gender Bias is available now.
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Who knew that #26habits, the year-long project we did together in 2018, wasn't just installing great lifestyle changes, it was also futureproofing my mental and emotional health...
To join the Facebook group for the podcast click here >> The Emma Guns Show Forum.
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Watch clips from the podcast >> Youtube | The Emma Guns Show
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One thing about interviewing psychotherapists is how tempting it can be to open up about the things that I am personally struggling with, or have struggled with. It’s not something I intended to do but in navigating Anna Mathur’s life lessons we stumbled upon the territory of people pleasing and, well, that was it.
Both of us have found ourselves crippled by the effects of people pleasing and these have shown up in Anna’s life in ways that have had a huge impact. 
I always open the show by asking my guests what their relationship with risk is like and it’s interesting that a big risk for Anna, and me, was to put ourselves first.
If you’re afflicted with the disease to please then this episode is definitely for you.
Anna’s books are available now.
To join the Facebook group for the podcast click here >> The Emma Guns Show Forum.
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Watch clips from the podcast >> Youtube | The Emma Guns Show
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