No Small Talk

Chris Melville
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Honest talk. Unfiltered truths. Let's talk about it.

Episodes

  1. Room For the Conversations None of Us Like to Have | No Small Talk with Chris Melville

    Jun 18

    Room For the Conversations None of Us Like to Have | No Small Talk with Chris Melville

    TRIGGER WARNING: ⚠️ Please note: Because of the nature of this podcast, episodes can contain difficult and sometimes heavy subjects. If you're hearing this message, then this is one of those episodes. Please keep that in mind when choosing when, where, and maybe even if to listen. Host Chris Melville offers a content warning and explains that the show isn’t a substitute for professional support before speaking candidly, without a guest or structure, about grieving someone you had boundaries with. She shares that her ex-husband—an alcoholic and the father of her children—died a few weeks ago, bringing conflicting emotions, including anger, sadness, relief, and a sense of freedom after years of anxiety and frequent hospitalizations. Chris emphasizes that complicated relationships create complicated grief, that every grief journey is individual, and that listeners don’t owe others explanations or a “performance,” especially amid public expectations like funerals. She discusses holding space for loved ones’ different grief, setting boundaries during the process, choosing values over rigid boundaries when saying goodbye, and listening to the body’s need for rest or action. 00:39 Bonus Episode Setup 01:28 Why This Topic Now 03:59 Conflicting Emotions 04:22 Alcoholism Backstory 05:28 Relief and Freedom 07:29 Public Expectations 08:55 Lessons From My Mother 10:31 You Owe No Explanation 11:38 Holding Space for Others 15:20 Revisiting Boundaries 17:07 Saying Goodbye in ICU 20:10 Listen to Your Body 21:02 Final Takeaways Connect with Chris Melville Email Instagram Producer’s credits: Chris Melville - Podcast HostNicole George - Podcast ExecutiveAriane Lim - Podcast Producer + EngineerSara Wagle - Audio Efficiency & Flow Manager

    23 min
  2. Don’t Save It for Best | No Small Talk with Abbey Booth

    Jun 4

    Don’t Save It for Best | No Small Talk with Abbey Booth

    TRIGGER WARNING: Mental health, being labeled weird, self doubt, confidence, teen wounds Host Chris Melville talks with personal stylist and style coach Abbey Booth, who works mainly with midlife professional women. She has just published her book, Don’t Save It For Best. Abbey shares how she moved from a long-held dream into running a women’s boutique, starting with pop-ups and a Facebook page designed to feel like getting ready in a friend’s bedroom. She shares how that experience became an “MBA” in women’s psychology, shaping her styling work. They discuss an adventurous retreat walk that highlighted feeling “seen,” Abbey’s painful school years and being labeled “weird,” and how those experiences fed self-doubt like “I’m not the sort of person who….” Abbey explains building confidence through moving to London, her “squiggly” career, why midlife women face unique challenges, and offers advice to people-watch offline for style inspiration, plus details on her online group program Brave. 00:00 Welcome to No Small Talk 00:24 Meet Abbey Booth 01:05 From Boutique Dream to Reality 02:55 Creating a Safe Shopping Space 04:23 The Muddy Retreat Adventure 07:58 School Years and the Weird Label 12:05 Teenage Wounds and Confidence Layers 17:08 Moving to London Saying Yes 20:56 Squiggly Career Into Styling 25:08 Why Midlife Women Need Style 28:16 The Book and Brave Program 30:16 People Watching Style Tip 31:35 Final Thanks and Goodbye Connect with Chris Melville Email Instagram Connect with Abbey Booth Email Instagram Producer’s credits: Chris Melville - Podcast HostNicole George - Podcast ExecutiveAriane Lim - Podcast Producer + EngineerSara Wagle - Audio Efficiency & Flow Manager

    33 min
  3. You Don’t Have To Scale Everest | No Small Talk with Tana Macpherson-Smith

    May 21

    You Don’t Have To Scale Everest | No Small Talk with Tana Macpherson-Smith

    TRIGGER WARNING: ⚠️ Please note: This episode may include sensitive or triggering content. Honor your inner knowing, and remember, our show is never a substitute for professional, legal, medical, or psychosocial guidance. Always seek support from a certified professional when needed. Host Chris Melville opens with a content warning and introduces No Small Talk guest Tana Mcpherson-Smith, a child and adolescent trauma therapist, school mental health consultant, speaker, and author of There’s a Monkey on Your Shoulder. Tana describes working with ages five to 25 to trace current mental health crises back to childhood vulnerability, helping clients understand the past, stabilize the present, and move toward who they want to be. She shares her own path from 25 years in teaching and boarding to a catastrophic 2013 breakdown triggered by an ambulance, six months in a London psychiatric hospital, and the realization of core limiting beliefs, especially feeling “invisible,” alongside experiences of grief, abuse, and suppressed anger. After a 2016 breast cancer experience and intensive psychotherapy, she reframed these events as gifts, became medication-free, and developed perspective tools like “the wall.” She closes with resources and a hope-focused example of helping a severely agoraphobic client use imagination practices to take a long-haul flight to see her grandchildren. 00:00 Content & Trigger Warning 00:39 Show Intro 01:03 Meet Tana 02:44 Youth Mental Health 06:05 Rethinking University 08:47 Her Breakdown Story 12:06 Hospital Lessons 16:00 Rebuilding Afterward 18:20 Cancer And Therapy 23:43 The Wall Perspective 25:36 Where To Find Tana 26:53 Advice And Hope 30:40 Closing Thanks Connect with Chris Melville Email Instagram Connect with Sarah Clay: Threads Instagram LinkedIn Producer’s credits: Chris Melville - Podcast HostNicole George - Podcast ExecutiveAriane Lim - Podcast Producer + EngineerSara Wagle - Audio Efficiency & Flow Manager

    32 min
  4. Trust vs Confidence | No Small Talk with Richard Harrison

    May 7

    Trust vs Confidence | No Small Talk with Richard Harrison

    On the first episode of No Small Talk, released on Chris’s 60th birthday, host Chris Melville and guest Richard Harrison (founder of Caldera Capital, connecting property investors with development opportunities) discuss learning to trust yourself. Richard shares how a failed events partnership and disillusionment with corporate loyalty led him to doubt his judgment, seek support from mentors and friends, and reframe setbacks as lessons and perspective. They explore how “confidence” and “imposter syndrome” can mask deeper issues, the role of intuition versus logic, and how entrepreneurship requires accepting uncertainty and discomfort. Richard describes taking a large financial risk to start his current business, emphasizes the importance of resilience, and argues that trusting yourself is less about perfect decisions and more about handling outcomes and continuing to move forward. 00:00 Welcome and Birthday Launch 00:56 Meet Richard Harrison 01:52 Trust vs Confidence 03:07 Where Doubt Began 04:48 Leaving Corporate Security 08:13 Lessons From a Failed Partnership 10:57 Rebuilding Self-Trust 12:49 Big Bet That Worked 14:38 Beyond Imposter Syndrome 15:57 Intuition and Embracing Chaos 23:24 Trust Your Ability to Cope 25:48 Advice for Big Decisions 28:54 Closing Thanks Connect with Chris Melville: Email Instagram Connect with Richard Harrison: Instagram LinkedIn Producer’s credits: Chris Melville - Podcast HostNicole George - Podcast ExecutiveAriane Lim - Podcast Producer + EngineerSara Wagle - Audio Efficiency & Flow Manager

    31 min
  5. No Small Talk with Chris Melville

    Apr 14

    No Small Talk with Chris Melville

    Chris Melville, a business mentor and mindset coach for solopreneurs, introduces No Small Talk, a podcast inspired by her fascination with how the brain drives behaviour and self-perception. She speaks to the doubts, insecurities, and lack of self-belief people often hide, especially in late-night moments when mental “noise” feels unavoidable. Drawing from her daily work and her own healing journey, Chris shares a core message: whatever you’re dealing with, you’re not the only one. The show features real people and honest, messy conversations - alongside laughs, possible tears, and science-based insights to help quiet the brain - as guests share hard times, what it felt like, and the breakthroughs that helped them get to the other side. 00:00 Meet Your Host 00:36 Why We Stay Silent 00:58 The 2 AM Mind 01:03 Why This Podcast 01:18 What To Expect 01:33 Deep Conversations Ahead 01:47 Join No Small Talk Connect with Chris Melville Email Instagram Producer’s credits: Chris Melville - Podcast HostAriane Lim - Podcast Producer + EngineerSara Wagle - Audio Efficiency & Flow Manager

    2 min
  • 5 Episodes

About

Honest talk. Unfiltered truths. Let's talk about it.

Information

  • Creator
    Chris Melville
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    5
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 Chris Melville
  • Show Website
    No Small Talk