Headstraight: Mental Health Support for Teens

Mark Taylor | Mental Health Nurse
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Mental Health
  • Updated Weekly

Headstraight is a teen mental health podcast hosted by Mark Taylor, a mental health nurse with over 35 years of experience working with young people. Each episode tackles real questions about mental health, relationships, confidence, self-doubt, anxiety, motivation, identity and growing up. No therapy-speak. No lectures. Just honest conversations, practical ideas and straightforward guidance to help you make sense of what's going on in your life. Whether you're struggling with overthinking, people pleasing, confidence, difficult relationships, big decisions or simply trying to work out who you're becoming, Headstraight offers real answers to real challenges faced by teens and young adults. Visit: http://www.headstraight.co.uk

  1. 12 Aug

    I Don't Want To Be Ill, I Just Don't Want To Be Invisible

    What happens when getting better starts to feel like you might lose something too? For some young people, being unwell can become the point where people finally notice. Family check in more. Friends stay closer. School takes things more seriously. People make time, ask questions and seem to care in a way that perhaps they did not before. So when things begin to improve, there can be another feeling sitting underneath the relief. If I'm no longer the person everyone is worried about, will they still notice me? Will they still make time for me? Will I still matter in the same way? In this episode of Headstraight, I explore why wanting care and attention doesn't mean somebody’s distress is fake, how being unwell can become tangled up with identity and relationships, and why recovery can sometimes feel more complicated than simply wanting the symptoms to go away. Because getting better shouldn't mean becoming invisible. Want to get involved?I’d love to hear from you: Send me a message → headstraight.co.uk/contactLeave me a voice note → headstraight.co.uk/voicemailShare your feedback by leaving a review (it helps more young people find the podcast) → headstraight.co.uk/reviews/newExplore more from Headstraight: Read the blog version of every episode, packed with extra insights on self-sabotage, motivation, resilience, and mental health → headstraight.co.uk/blogFind out more about me, the host, and why I started this podcast → headstraight.co.uk/aboutNeed support right now?If you’re struggling with anxiety, depression, or in crisis, visit our Resources page - https://www.headstraight.co.uk/p/resources/for helplines, mental health services, and support options available in the UK and across the world.

  2. 5 Aug

    Everyone Comes To Me With Their Problems

    Everyone seems to come to you when something’s gone wrong. You listen, you stay calm, you try to help, and before long you’ve somehow become the person everybody relies on. At first, that can feel like a good thing. It means people trust you, they feel safe with you, and they believe you’ll know what to say. But after a while, it can start to feel heavy, especially when their problem stays in your head long after they’ve moved on. In this episode, I want to look at how that role develops, why it can become so difficult to step away from, and what being needed might be giving you as well as taking from you. Because sometimes the hardest part isn’t only that people keep bringing you their problems. It’s wondering who you are to them when you’re not the one fixing things. You can care deeply about other people without carrying everything they bring you, and you can still matter when there’s nothing for you to solve. Want to get involved?I’d love to hear from you: Send me a message → headstraight.co.uk/contactLeave me a voice note → headstraight.co.uk/voicemailShare your feedback by leaving a review (it helps more young people find the podcast) → headstraight.co.uk/reviews/newExplore more from Headstraight: Read the blog version of every episode, packed with extra insights on self-sabotage, motivation, resilience, and mental health → headstraight.co.uk/blogFind out more about me, the host, and why I started this podcast → headstraight.co.uk/aboutNeed support right now?If you’re struggling with anxiety, depression, or in crisis, visit our Resources page - https://www.headstraight.co.uk/p/resources/for helplines, mental health services, and support options available in the UK and across the world.

  3. 29 July

    Can You Love Someone And Still Be Scared Of Them?

    Can you love someone and still be scared of them? It feels like a question that should have a simple answer. But the more I thought about it, the more I realised that real life rarely fits into simple categories. In this episode, we're not talking about labels or trying to decide whether somebody is a good person or a bad one. We're talking about something much more familiar than that. What happens when someone can make you feel loved and unsettled at the very same time? When your heart seems to be telling one story, but something deeper inside keeps whispering another. We'll explore why confusing relationships can be so difficult to make sense of, why our minds spend so much time trying to solve contradictions, and why the most important questions often aren't about the other person at all. If you've ever found yourself wondering whether your own feelings can be trusted, or why you've slowly become a different version of yourself around someone you care about, this conversation is for you. Sometimes the biggest breakthrough isn't finding the answer. Sometimes it's finally finding the words for the question. Want to get involved?I’d love to hear from you: Send me a message → headstraight.co.uk/contactLeave me a voice note → headstraight.co.uk/voicemailShare your feedback by leaving a review (it helps more young people find the podcast) → headstraight.co.uk/reviews/newExplore more from Headstraight: Read the blog version of every episode, packed with extra insights on self-sabotage, motivation, resilience, and mental health → headstraight.co.uk/blogFind out more about me, the host, and why I started this podcast → headstraight.co.uk/aboutNeed support right now?If you’re struggling with anxiety, depression, or in crisis, visit our Resources page - https://www.headstraight.co.uk/p/resources/for helplines, mental health services, and support options available in the UK and across the world.

  4. 22 July

    Am I Being Left Behind?

    I've been thinking about friendships quite a bit while putting this episode together, and the more I thought about it, the more I realised this isn't really an episode about friendships at all. It's about what happens when they start to change. Most of us have experienced that moment when someone we were once really close to slowly becomes a smaller part of our lives. Sometimes there's an argument, but often there isn't. Life just moves on, and we're left trying to work out what happened. The problem is, our minds are really good at filling in the gaps, and we usually end up blaming ourselves. In this episode, I want to explore why changing friendships can feel so personal, why we often mistake change for rejection, and why perhaps we've been measuring friendships in the wrong way all along. If you've ever wondered whether you've been left behind, whether you've done something wrong, or why friendships seem so much more complicated than they used to, I hope this conversation gives you a different way of looking at it. Because maybe the value of a friendship isn't measured by how long it lasts... but by how it changes us.. Want to get involved?I’d love to hear from you: Send me a message → headstraight.co.uk/contactLeave me a voice note → headstraight.co.uk/voicemailShare your feedback by leaving a review (it helps more young people find the podcast) → headstraight.co.uk/reviews/newExplore more from Headstraight: Read the blog version of every episode, packed with extra insights on self-sabotage, motivation, resilience, and mental health → headstraight.co.uk/blogFind out more about me, the host, and why I started this podcast → headstraight.co.uk/aboutNeed support right now?If you’re struggling with anxiety, depression, or in crisis, visit our Resources page - https://www.headstraight.co.uk/p/resources/for helplines, mental health services, and support options available in the UK and across the world.

  5. 15 July

    I Wish Somebody Would Notice Without Me Having To Say Anything

    Have you ever found yourself wishing that somebody would just notice that you're not okay... without you having to say anything? Not because you want attention. Not because you want everyone fussing over you. But because saying the words out loud somehow feels even harder. That's what we're talking about this week. We're going to look at why so many of us wait for someone else to ask the first question, what we're really hoping for when we wish someone would notice, and why staying quiet often makes far more sense than people realise. As always, this isn't about telling you what you should do. It's about understanding why we think, feel and behave the way we do. Because sometimes, understanding ourselves is the first step towards changing anything. If you've ever sat there hoping someone would just see through the smile and ask, "Are you really okay?" then I think this episode is for you. Want to get involved?I’d love to hear from you: Send me a message → headstraight.co.uk/contactLeave me a voice note → headstraight.co.uk/voicemailShare your feedback by leaving a review (it helps more young people find the podcast) → headstraight.co.uk/reviews/newExplore more from Headstraight: Read the blog version of every episode, packed with extra insights on self-sabotage, motivation, resilience, and mental health → headstraight.co.uk/blogFind out more about me, the host, and why I started this podcast → headstraight.co.uk/aboutNeed support right now?If you’re struggling with anxiety, depression, or in crisis, visit our Resources page - https://www.headstraight.co.uk/p/resources/for helplines, mental health services, and support options available in the UK and across the world.

  6. 8 July

    A New Chapter for Headstraight

    After six seasons of Headstraight, I found myself reflecting on something. We've talked about anxiety, confidence, friendships, boundaries, self-belief and so many of the challenges that young people face. Those conversations still matter. But the more time I spent listening to young people, the more I realise that many of the biggest struggles don't begin with a diagnosis or even a clear problem. They begin with a question. The questions that keep people awake at night. The ones that feel too embarrassing to ask. Too confusing to explain. Or too risky to say out loud. So, rather than organising this next season around a theme, we're organising it around those questions. Each episode starts with one real question or statment and explores what's really sitting underneath it—not with quick fixes or easy answers, but with honest conversations that help make sense of difficult experiences and what you can do next. If you've been with me since the beginning, thank you for coming this far. And if this is your first episode, you've joined us at the start of an exciting new chapter. Welcome to the next phase of Headstraight. Want to get involved?I’d love to hear from you: Send me a message → headstraight.co.uk/contactLeave me a voice note → headstraight.co.uk/voicemailShare your feedback by leaving a review (it helps more young people find the podcast) → headstraight.co.uk/reviews/newExplore more from Headstraight: Read the blog version of every episode, packed with extra insights on self-sabotage, motivation, resilience, and mental health → headstraight.co.uk/blogFind out more about me, the host, and why I started this podcast → headstraight.co.uk/aboutNeed support right now?If you’re struggling with anxiety, depression, or in crisis, visit our Resources page - https://www.headstraight.co.uk/p/resources/for helplines, mental health services, and support options available in the UK and across the world.

  7. 1 July

    Season 6 — Nothing’s Wrong — You’re Just Seeing Things Differently (Season Summary)

    We've reached the end of another season, but this isn't really about looking back. It's about taking a moment to notice how far you've come. Over the last few months we've talked about pressure, responsibility, relationships, uncertainty and trying to work out what actually matters to you. None of it was about becoming a different person. It was about understanding yourself a little better. In this episode, I reflect on the biggest shift I've hoped you've taken away from these conversations: not having all the answers, but becoming more aware of what's happening around you and inside you. Because that's where real change starts. If this season has helped you pause, question things differently, or make even one decision that felt more like you, then it has done exactly what I hoped it would. Thank you for listening, for sticking with me, and for letting me be part of your journey. I'll see you in the next chapter of Headstraight. Want to get involved?I’d love to hear from you: Send me a message → headstraight.co.uk/contactLeave me a voice note → headstraight.co.uk/voicemailShare your feedback by leaving a review (it helps more young people find the podcast) → headstraight.co.uk/reviews/newExplore more from Headstraight: Read the blog version of every episode, packed with extra insights on self-sabotage, motivation, resilience, and mental health → headstraight.co.uk/blogFind out more about me, the host, and why I started this podcast → headstraight.co.uk/aboutNeed support right now?If you’re struggling with anxiety, depression, or in crisis, visit our Resources page - https://www.headstraight.co.uk/p/resources/for helplines, mental health services, and support options available in the UK and across the world. Headstraight: Mental Health Support for Teens is built on honest conversations — proper Mental Health real talks that make sense in real life. Each episode brings real talk mental health guidance designed to offer steady support for teens navigating the messy, complicated parts of growing up. If you’re looking for a teen mental health podcast that gives grounded support, you’re in the right place.

  8. 24 June

    What If This Isn't The Life I Actually Want?

    Have you ever stopped and wondered whether the life you're building is actually the life you want? Sometimes the problem isn't a crisis or a major setback. It's a quieter feeling that something doesn't quite fit, even when things look fine from the outside. In this episode of Headstraight, we explore why people can end up following paths that no longer feel right and why self doubt often appears when you start questioning long-held assumptions about your future. You'll learn how expectations, comparison and habit can shape your choices without you fully noticing, and why building a meaningful life is often more about small adjustments than dramatic change. If you've been feeling disconnected from the direction you're heading in or wondering whether you're living according to someone else's expectations, this episode offers practical guidance on reconnecting with what matters to you and creating a life that feels more genuinely your own. Headstraight is a teen mental health podcast providing practical mental health support for teens and young people. Want to get involved?I’d love to hear from you: Send me a message → headstraight.co.uk/contactLeave me a voice note → headstraight.co.uk/voicemailShare your feedback by leaving a review (it helps more young people find the podcast) → headstraight.co.uk/reviews/newExplore more from Headstraight: Read the blog version of every episode, packed with extra insights on self-sabotage, motivation, resilience, and mental health → headstraight.co.uk/blogFind out more about me, the host, and why I started this podcast → headstraight.co.uk/aboutNeed support right now?If you’re struggling with anxiety, depression, or in crisis, visit our Resources page - https://www.headstraight.co.uk/p/resources/for helplines, mental health services, and support options available in the UK and across the world.

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About

Headstraight is a teen mental health podcast hosted by Mark Taylor, a mental health nurse with over 35 years of experience working with young people. Each episode tackles real questions about mental health, relationships, confidence, self-doubt, anxiety, motivation, identity and growing up. No therapy-speak. No lectures. Just honest conversations, practical ideas and straightforward guidance to help you make sense of what's going on in your life. Whether you're struggling with overthinking, people pleasing, confidence, difficult relationships, big decisions or simply trying to work out who you're becoming, Headstraight offers real answers to real challenges faced by teens and young adults. Visit: http://www.headstraight.co.uk

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