Beyond the basement

Chris Kenworthy
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Join Chris for unscripted reflections on the wild, tender and playful experience of being human. Each episode is like an intimate voice-note to you, with lively insight from the edge of discovery. People say you’ll recognise yourself in these adventures and encounters. And hear clarity, perspective and truth - with deep appreciation for life’s messy magic as it’s really lived through your body. Chris Kenworthy is an improviser, facilitator and embodiment coach. Find me at chriskenworthy.co.uk or @chriskenworthy on Instagram and LinkedIn. chriskenworthy.substack.com

  1. Being with yourself (+ not running away)

    2 DAYS AGO

    Being with yourself (+ not running away)

    After months of building safety, structure and steadiness in my life, I’ve found myself in a new inquiry: what does it really mean to be with my experience, rather than fix it, analyse it, distract from it or turn it into a story? In this episode, I explore the feminine quality of “being with” - the soft, receptive, relational capacity to stay present with feelings as they move through us. Not becoming the grief, the loneliness or the fear. Not trying to solve it. Just being with it. I talk about the difference between containment and flow, masculine and feminine, structure and surrender - and how both seem necessary for healing. I share what I’m discovering about vulnerability, nervous system safety, self-leadership, and the subtle art of letting emotions move without getting swept away by them. This is a live exploration of softness, unfinishedness, and the possibility that maybe nothing needs to be done with our feelings except to let them be here. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by your inner world, or sensed that there must be another way besides fixing, analysing or powering through, this one might land. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chriskenworthy.substack.com

    40 min
  2. When boring is exactly what you need to make life exciting again

    12 MAY

    When boring is exactly what you need to make life exciting again

    After a turbulent season of life, I’ve found myself saying something surprising: Life is boring right now - and that’s a good thing. In this episode, I explore the connection between safety, trust, rhythm and the capacity to receive more of the good things in life. I share what I’m learning about nervous system healing, why unpredictability can keep us stuck in survival mode, and how a slower, steadier, more “boring” life can become the very thing that helps joy, creativity and opportunity return. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chriskenworthy.substack.com

    21 min
  3. No means no - why boundaries begin with yourself

    5 MAY

    No means no - why boundaries begin with yourself

    In this episode, I explore a side of boundaries (what’s a yes or no in life) that doesn’t get talked about enough: the boundaries we set with ourselves. We often think of boundaries as something we use with other people - saying no, protecting our energy, asserting ourselves, eliminating toxicity or challenging behaviour. But what I’m discovering is that if I can’t hold a boundary with myself, it’s very hard to do it cleanly with anyone else. I’ll share what it feels like when you hit a solid no. For me that happened thiS morning, when I noticed how a business strategy I’d been using - cold outreach emailing - left me feeling drained, rejected, and quietly miserable. I’d been pushing through it with willpower, telling myself it was “good for me” and “necessary.” But my body said something very different. So I listened. And what emerged was a clear, grounded, self-respecting no. Which weirdly, led to a clear yes later. More trust and more alignment with your self, and by extension - others I want more of that, perhaps you do too. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chriskenworthy.substack.com

    31 min
  4. What if the thing you resist is the medicine?

    30 APR

    What if the thing you resist is the medicine?

    Sometimes the very thing that brings you to life is the first thing to fall away when life gets challenging. In this episode, I explore why people drift away from the things they love - like improv, play, creativity, connection - just when they may need them most. I unpack the story that says you have to be in the ‘right mood’ before you’re allowed to show up, and why that might not be true. This is about resistance, aliveness, low-mood, being real, and the possibility that you don’t need to arrive cheerful, polished or ‘up for it’ to take part. You might just need to arrive as you are. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chriskenworthy.substack.com

    21 min
  5. Laughter is the best medicine

    27 APR

    Laughter is the best medicine

    Confusion is a form of suffering - that horrible state where nothing quite makes sense, nothing resolves, and the mind keeps looping in search of clarity and certainty that may never come. Can you relate? That’s been my experience of late. But then I found an unexpected ally… These reflections came to me in the bath, of all places, when I noticed myself once again circling an old, unresolved situation and trying to make sense of something that may simply never make sense. And instead of analysing it even more, something different happened: I laughed. That laughter surprised me. But it also brought relief. Because life’s a ridiculous circus pantomime, right? So in this episode, I share a little experiment I’m trying: using laughter as a way to loosen the grip of confusion, relieve overthinking, and create some healthy distance from situations that are really just absurd, contradictory, overinflated or simply not mine to carry. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chriskenworthy.substack.com

    29 min
  6. Joy is wealth

    22 APR

    Joy is wealth

    In this episode, I explore joy - not as a fleeting high or a lucky accident, but as a state. A way of being you in the world. A way of meeting life. The spark for this reflection was a message from my friend Tom, who said: joy is wealth. That landed deeply. Because after a long winter of grief, withdrawal, heartbreak and recovery, I’m beginning to notice what happens when my focus starts to move outward again - away from my own internal noise, and back into the flow of life. I reflect on joy as something natural and fundamental in us. Not something to force or manufacture, but something that emerges when the layers of fear, melancholy, trauma and self-protection begin to soften. For me, that state feels like joyful curiosity - open-hearted, available, playful, receptive, and in contact with the world. I share a story from a hard day in London, when I deliberately led myself towards small, life-giving things - a walk, a coffee, a sauna, a few moments of real connection - and found myself unexpectedly described as having “joyful curiosity.” That phrase stayed with me. It helped me recognise that even when I’ve been deep in grief, joy is still possible. Not instead of sorrow, but alongside it. I also explore the idea that joy can be an act of rebellion. A quiet resistance to cynicism, shutdown, scarcity, modern disconnection, and other forces that flatten us. Choosing joy doesn’t mean denying pain, pretending everything is OK, or sacrificing sincerity. It means refusing to let pain be the whole story. Find the ‘Tiny Acts of Aliveness’ challenge I mention in this episode, here: chriskenworthy.co.uk/aliveness This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chriskenworthy.substack.com

    31 min
  7. When self-care, compassion & love don’t work

    13 APR

    When self-care, compassion & love don’t work

    I’ve recently had a difficult but important realisation about emotional healing: sometimes softness isn’t what helps. Self-compassion, inner child work and emotional attunement are wonderful things, but I began to notice something unsettling - that soothing my big feelings in a gentle, maternal way was making them bigger, not calmer. Instead of helping the storm pass, it seemed to reinforce helplessness, collapse and emotional spiralling. In this episode, I share a new experiment: meeting my inner world with a steadier, more paternal kind of presence. Not cold, not shut down, not harsh - but grounded, matter-of-fact, containing, reassuring and directional. A presence that can acknowledge the feeling, hold perspective, and then ask: what now? I reflect on masculine and feminine energies, inner child dynamics, emotional storms, victimhood, agency, and the difference between soothing a feeling and containing it. I share how this shift is helping me move through grief, loneliness and overwhelm with more stability, clarity and momentum. This is an episode about feelings, stories, nervous system states, inner leadership, and the surprising possibility that what helps me isn’t always more tenderness - sometimes it’s steadiness, structure and a plan. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chriskenworthy.substack.com

    34 min
  8. The beat beneath it all - rhythm in your life

    3 APR

    The beat beneath it all - rhythm in your life

    Back at my favourite tree in Leeds after a hard winter of with grief, change and travel, I’d like to introduce you to a new inner figure in my life: a rhythmic, embodied, non-verbal part of the psyche that has something to teach us about moving with life’s natural tempo. Sparked by a dream about drums, rhythm and an instinctive masculine presence, this episode explores what it might mean to be held by something greater than yourself - nature, seasonality, the body, time, instinct, spirit, the greater force of life itself. When words, strategies and self-help tools stop working, what remains? What if there’s a deeper beat still going on in and around you? Join me as I explore the comfort of surrendering to larger cycles, while still participating in them. I’ll reflect on grief, timing, intuition, agency, masculine psyche, improvisation, and the possibility that some parts of us already know when to move closer, when to step back, when to rest, and when to trust what unfolds. This is an episode about rhythm, mystery, instinct, support, and the spiritual relief of realising you don’t live life alone. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chriskenworthy.substack.com

    25 min
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About

Join Chris for unscripted reflections on the wild, tender and playful experience of being human. Each episode is like an intimate voice-note to you, with lively insight from the edge of discovery. People say you’ll recognise yourself in these adventures and encounters. And hear clarity, perspective and truth - with deep appreciation for life’s messy magic as it’s really lived through your body. Chris Kenworthy is an improviser, facilitator and embodiment coach. Find me at chriskenworthy.co.uk or @chriskenworthy on Instagram and LinkedIn. chriskenworthy.substack.com

Information

  • Creator
    Chris Kenworthy
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    293
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Chris Kenworthy
  • Show Website
    Beyond the basement