No Small Talk

Chris Melville

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Personal Journals

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

3d ago

Accountability Check-In: Celebrating Wins, Grief, and the “Difficult Middle”| No Small Talk with Richard Harrison

TRIGGER WARNING: Difficult subject matters within this episode including death and mental health Host Chris Melville introduces a new monthly accountability check-in with returning guest Richard Harrison, founder of Caldera Capital. They discuss why entrepreneurs must train their brains to notice wins and progress, and share July highlights: Richard’s second talk (on ADHD), new connections, a house sale to fund his business, increased gym time, and being asked to mentor. Chris describes client progress, restructuring her business after her ex-husband’s death, preparing an August/September launch, and creating an accountability community outside Facebook, plus a supportive week including events and seeing Snow Patrol. In struggles, Chris reflects on grief, nervous system responses, being the only parent left for her adult children, and feeling time pass; Richard shares feeling stuck between old and new identities, imposter syndrome, and balancing accountability with grace, likening the transition to a messy construction site. 00:00 Trigger Warning 00:38 Meet Richard Harrison 02:47 July Wins Check-In 06:17 Why Wins Feel Hard 08:46 Chris Wins After Loss 12:31 From Wins to Struggles 13:09 Grief and Nervous System 18:15 Death Talk and Resilience 23:38 Richard’s Difficult Middle 32:09 Imposter Syndrome and Confidence 35:42 Wrap Up and Next Month Connect with Chris Melville Email Instagram Connect with Richard Harrison: Website Instagram Producer’s credits: Chris Melville - Podcast Host Nicole George - Podcast ExecutiveAriane Lim - Podcast Producer + EngineerSara Wagle - Audio Efficiency & Flow Manager
Jul 30

The Imposter Syndrome Myth | No Small Talk with Chris Melville

TRIGGER WARNING: This episode contains information about imposter syndrome. Host Chris Melville shares a bonus episode challenging how “imposter syndrome” is used as a catch-all for professional self-doubt. She defines true imposter phenomenon as the inability to internalize clear evidence of competence and success, often linked to perfectionism and early family expectations, and contrasts it with discomfort from inexperience, skill gaps, or overstated expertise. Using client and personal examples, she argues that confidence is not the same as competence and that many situations require training, feedback, practice, clearer offers, or more honest assessment rather than affirmations. She offers reflective questions about what one fears being discovered, what evidence exists, and where one is competent versus still learning. 02:17 Imposter Syndrome Mislabel 03:44 What It Really Means 05:51 Roots and Patterns 09:14 Confidence vs Competence 10:23 Client Case Study 12:44 Build Confidence Through Evidence 14:48 When You’ve Overstated Skills 16:52 Questions for Clarity 19:53 Wrap Up and Next Steps Connect with Chris Melville Email Instagram Producer’s credits: Chris Melville - Podcast Host Nicole George - Podcast ExecutiveAriane Lim - Podcast Producer + EngineerSara Wagle - Audio Efficiency & Flow Manager
Jul 16

What Are You Chasing? | No Small Talk with Nicole George

TRIGGER WARNING: Host Chris Melville speaks with Nicole George, founder and editor of SOVEREIGN Magazine® LLC, an online magazine and community with podcasts, YouTube programming, and multiple shows. Nicole shares her shift from 18 years as a NICU nurse and nurse manager to building a global platform centered on “sovereignty,” defined as chasing what’s true to yourself rather than inherited expectations. They discuss how intuition can show up through guides, downloads, nature, and energy sensitivity, plus practices for protecting energy and discerning yes/no decisions. Nicole describes leaving a nearly $200,000 nursing role, draining savings to start her business, and also walking away from family inheritance due to unhealthy dynamics. She outlines Sovereign’s people-first workplace model with flexible hours and extensive paid time off, and advises listeners considering a leap to journal fears, plan for worst cases, and seek mentorship. 00:00 Trigger Warning 01:03 Meet Nicole George 02:51 Defining Sovereignty 05:00 Nursing Career and Calling 06:57 What Intuition Means 12:35 Protecting Your Energy 15:49 Chasing Identity and Money 18:26 Signs and Spirit Support 20:19 Walking Away from Inheritance 23:30 Building a People First Company 30:22 Where to Find Sovereign 31:50 Advice for Big Leaps Connect with Chris Melville Email Instagram Connect with Nicole George Instagram Email Website Youtube Community Podcast Producer’s credits: Chris Melville - Podcast HostNicole George - Podcast ExecutiveAriane Lim - Podcast Producer + EngineerSara Wagle - Audio Efficiency & Flow Manager
Jul 2

Neurodivergence & Family Burnout | No Small Talk with Sandrine Olmi

TRIGGER WARNING: Host Chris Melville welcomes nutritionist Sandrine Olmi of Savoir Faire Nutrition, who works with families of neurodivergent children experiencing big emotions and sensory food issues. Sandrine shares her personal journey after adopting her daughter at four months old; intense meltdowns, sleep disruption, and food refusal emerged around age three, leading to parental burnout and limited support from a GP beyond referral for autism/ADHD assessment. She describes using DNA-based nutrigenomics testing (saliva swab) to identify nutrient needs—especially for sleep and nervous system pathways, seeing rapid improvements in sleep and reduced meltdowns, helping her daughter attend mainstream school despite diagnoses including autism and ADHD. The conversation covers maternal emotional load, partnership dynamics, PDA strategies, supporting parents’ confidence, and how to find Sandrine’s groups, coaching, and calming snack recipes at www.savoirfayre.co.uk. 00:00 Trigger Warning 01:03 Meet Sandrine Olmi 01:57 Adoption and Early Signs 03:54 Burnout and Seeking Help 06:44 Nutrigenomics Breakthrough 07:34 DNA Reports Explained 10:55 Rebuilding Mom Energy 15:40 Family Dynamics and PDA 22:18 How She Helps Clients Connect with Chris Melville Email Instagram Connect with Sandrine Olmi Email Website Youtube Producer’s credits: Chris Melville - Podcast HostNicole George - Podcast ExecutiveAriane Lim - Podcast Producer + EngineerSara Wagle - Audio Efficiency & Flow Manager
Jun 18

The Messy Reality of Complicated Grief | 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
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
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
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
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

9 Episodes

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

Creator

Chris Melville
Years Active

2026
Episodes

9
Rating

Explicit
Copyright

© Copyright 2026 Chris Melville
Show Website

No Small Talk